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1 

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iliustrvint  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

i- 

5 

6 

F!<II)TJOI'    NANSKN,    SCIKNTIST    AND    KXl'LOKFU. 


FRIDTJOF  NANSKN 


l^ts   tiff  ani)   CSiploratioiis. 


HY 


J.    ARTHUR    BAIN, 

AUTHOR   OK    -TM,      NANSKNS'      (".ULKK,"    MAKCH.    ,896);    "  KRU    NANsEN" 

C'SrUAND    MAGAZINK,"    NOVKMHKR,    1896);    "a    TALK    WITH 

I'H.    NANSKN-    C'SIKKN:,    M  AG  A  Z  I  N  K,"    CHKISTMAS,    .896). 


Bln•i^^K•^  fiom  tbc  Xav^cv  tiaoih. 


MEC0.\7)  K7)/'//0.\\         '/F.\'//f  '///ors.^lA"/), 


FLEMING   H.   REVELL  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 

j  Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


Q., 


>  J 


:0^1 


213839 


2!fTS  J. 


f?;^^. 


CHKISTIAMA. 


PREFACE. 


THE  only  cure  for  the  Arctic  fever  is  the 
discovery  of  the  North  Pole.  A  goal  at 
once  so  definite  and  so  encompassed  with 
mystery  is  sure  to  command  human  effort 
until  it  shall  be  reached,  and  never  was  man- 
kind nearer  to  this  consummation  than  at  the  present 
time.  The  operations  of  Arctic  heroes,  beginning 
with  Sebastian  Cabot  and  ending  with  Fridtjof 
Nansen,  have  gradually  broken  down  the  barriers 
that  have  stood  for  ages  between  restless  man  and 
his  ambition.  For  many  years  Great  Britain  has 
stood  foremost  in  the  history  of  Arctic  exploration, 
but  Norway  has  lately  prover  a  formidable  rival  in 
the  person  of  Fridtjof  Nansen,  whose  crossing  of  the 
great  Greenland  plateau  in  1888  drew  attention  for 
the  first  time  to  the  fertility  of  resource  possessed  by 
this  strong-nerved  Scandinavian. 


"1 


vt 


PREFACE. 


Only  the  Arctic  -xplorer  himself  is  able  to  explain 
the  source  of  the  attraction  that  lures  men  to  the  icy 
north.  However  greatly  opinions  may  di^er  as  to 
the  feasibility  of  the  plans  of  the  majority  of  the 
explorers ;  as  to  the  practical  results  v/hich  may 
accrue  to  navigation  or  commerce ;  or  as  to  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  by  science  from  their  observa- 
tions in  these  regions,  it  will  not  be  denied  that  the 
men  who,  in  face  of  a  terribly  rigorous  climate  and  of 
fearful  bodily  risks,  sail  northward  with  a  fixed 
determination  to  wrest  from  Nature  her  most  closely- 
guarded  secret,  are  worthy  of  admiration. 

In  this  record  I  intend  to  place  before  my  readers 
not  only  the  life  and  history  of  a  brave  man  who  has 
early  in  life  eclipsed  the  performances  of  many  of  his 
predecessors,  but  to  present  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
allow  the  ordinary  reader  to  draw  a  parallel  between 
the  doings  of  Fridtjof  Nansen  and  those  of  the  men 
who  have  gone  before  him  in  the  path  which  he  has 
himself  chosen. 

In  comparison  with  the  journeys  of  Dr.  Nansen 
and  his  companions,  all  other  Arctic  ventures  of 
recent  years  fall  into  the  shade.  No  explorer  of  the 
Arctic  regions  since  Franklin,  no  traveller  indeed 
save  Columbus,  has  gained  so  great  a  hold  upon  the 
imagination  of  his  contemporaries.  As  in  his  journey 
across  Greenland,  so  in  his  attempt  to  find  the  North 
Pole — he  modestly  but  fearlessly  confronted  danger 
with  the  full  knowledge  that  to  fail  was  most  probably 
to  die. 

There  is  much  in  Nansen  to  inspire  respect  and 
confidence.  His  character  and  bearing  are  unmis- 
takably those  of  the  man  who  achieves   greatness. 


PREFACE. 


VII 


Without  fear  on  the  one  hand  or  vanity  on  the  other, 
he  spoke  of  his  purpose  with  simple  candour  exag- 
gerating nothing,  making  h'ght  of  nothing,  not  greatly- 
concerned  as  to  what  the  world  might  think  of  his 
project,  except  to  let  men  see  that  he  had  excellent 
reasons  for  the  birth  and  growth  of  the  faith  that  was 
in  him.  Amid  the  many  discouragements  he  met 
with,  none  stung  him  so  much  as  the  implied  censure 
of  the  people  who  said  that  the  risk  was  needless  ; 
that  neither  time,  money,  nor  life  ought  to  be 
expended  on  his  quest  ;  that  its  only  reward  could 
be,  if  successful,  a  trivial  gain  of  knowledge  ;  and 
that  the  only  result  of  failure  would  be  the  death  of 
the  explorer  and  his  companions.  To  these  he  once 
made  a  famous  answer — an  answer  that  deserves  to 
ring  throughout  the  ages  in  the  ears  of  the  doubters 
and  faint-hearted : — "  Man  wants  to  know  ;  and  when 
man  no  longer  wants  to  know,  he  will  no  longer  be 
man." 

The  unprecedented  public  interest  which  Nansen's 
record  has  aroused  in  this  land  proves  that  to-day,  as 
much  as  ever,  the  heart  of  the  British  public  warms  to 
great  deeds.  And  hardly  the  less  so,  be  it  remem- 
bered to  our  credit  as  a  nation,  when  the  doer  of  them 
is  a  foreigner,  and  the  laurels  he  wins  are  for  another 
brow  than  Britannia's. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  kindness 
of  Fru  Nansen  and  Alexander  Nansen,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  much  of  the  information  contained  in  my 
earlier  chapters  ;  of  Messrs.  Longmans,  Green  &  Co., 
for  their  prompt  permission  to  make  extracts  from 
"  The  First  Crossing  of  Greenland,"  the  "  Life  of 
Nansen,"   etc. ;    of  Mrs.   Alec   B.   Tweedie ;    of  the 


•  •• 

Vlll 


PREFACE. 


■  1 

1 


proprietors  of  The  Illustrated  London  News  ;  of  the 
editor  of  The  Strand  Magazine  ;  of  Sir  Clements  R. 
Markham,  F.R.S.,  President  of  the  Royal  Geojrra- 
phical  Society  ;  of  Dr.  John  Murray  ;  and  numerous 
others  who  so  readily  granted  me  leave  to  enlarge  on 
my  own  information  by  quoting  from  their  publica- 
tions and  writings. 

The  large  excerpts  from  Dr.  Nansen's  address,  due 
to  the  courtesy  of  the  editors  of  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society,  are  rendered  desirable  by 
the  numerous  canards  afloat  at  the  present  time 
regarding  his  plan  in  the  polar  expedition  of  1893- 
1896. 

J.  ARTHUR  BAIN. 


Nansen  House,  Millhouses, 
Sheffield,  April,  1897. 


-  V 


"?->- 


Ui<.    NANSKN    IN    tUKb. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SCHOOL   LIFE  AND   PASTIMES,     . 


lAGE 
II 


CHAPTER  H. 

SCIENCE,  SPORT,   AND   EXPLORATION, 


•  • 


21 


CHAPTER  HI. 

FIRST  CROSSING  OF  GREENLAND,       . 


•  • 


34 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FRU   NANSEN, 43 


CHAPTER  V. 


NANSEN'S  HOME, 


•  • 


52 


IX 


^  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
HOW  TO  CROSS  THE   NORTH   POLAR   REGION, 


PAGE 
60 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NANSEN'S  ARCTIC  SHIP,       . 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  WE  ARE   THIRTEEN   ALL  TOLD," 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  DEPARTURE, 


• 


CHAPTER  X. 

THREE   YEARS'   SILENCE, 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  TALK   WITH   DR.   NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,    1 896, 


CONCLUSION, 


CHAPTER  XII. 


79 


97 


114 


123 


130 


155 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


CHAPTER   I. 


SCHOOL  LIFE  AND  PASTIMES. 


rr^HE  earliest  ancestor  of  whom  Nansen  has  trust- 

I        worthy  records  was  one  Ewart,  of  the  same 

-^      surname,  a  merchant  of  Flensburgin,  Schleswig- 

Holstein,  who  died  in  1613.     Ewart  Nansen's 

son,  Hans,  went  with  his  uncle  on  a  merchant  ship 

to   Russia ;    afterwards   became  Russian   interpreter 

at  the  Court  of  the  King  of  Denmark  ;  and,  later,  a 

special  Danish  envoy  to  the  Czar.     Subsequently,  as 

chairman  of  the  Icelandic  Trading  Society,  he  made 

many  voyages  to  Iceland  and  Russia,  and  wrote,  in 

Danish,  a  "Compendium  Cosmographicum  Danicum," 

which  had   many  editions  (1633-46) — a  compilation 

II 


12 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


much  affected  by  seamen  until  comparatively  recent 
times.  The  Nansens  nf  to-day  are  traced  from  these 
ancestors,  one  of  the  first  of  whom  thus  showed  a 
bent  for  travelling,  and  for  writing  on  his  travels. 
Indeed,  the  family  has  been  distinguished  for  its 
soldiers,  sailors,  lawyers,  and  administrators,  who 
have  done  good  service  for  their  native  land.  From 
his  mother  Nansen  inherits  a  strong  mind  in  a  healthy 
body.  As  a  young  lady  his  mother  was  noted  as  a 
snow-shoe  runner,  and  that  at  a  time  when  ladies  were 
not  encouraged  in  outdoor  sport.  "  Her  will-power 
and  love  of  activity,  her  intrepidity,  her  practical  and 
resolute  nature  have  descended  to  her  son."  His  gift 
of  thoroughness  he  owes  to  his  fathei — a  refined 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  and  a  distinguished 
advocate,  who  has  been  followed  in  this  direction 
by  his  younger  son,  Alexander,  now  in  practice  in 
the  Norwegian  capital. 

Fridtjof  Nansen  was  born  at  Froen,  two  miles  and 
a-half  from  Christiania,  on  the  loth  of  October,  1861. 
He  began  his  career  as  a  skilober  at  the  tender 
age  of  four.  He  himself  tells  the  story  of  his  first 
snow-shoes,  and  his  first  great  leap  : — "  I  am  not 
speaking  of  the  very  first  pair  of  all ;  they  were  pre- 
cious poor  ones,  cut  down  from  cast-off  snow-shoes 
which  had  belonged  to  my  brothers  and  sisters.  They 
were  not  even  of  the  same  length.  But  Mr.  Fabritius, 
the  printer,  took  pity  upon  me  :  *  I  '11  give  you  a  pair 
of  snow-shoes,'  he  said.  Then  spring  came,  and  then 
summer,  and  with  the  best  will  in  the  world  one 
couldn't  go  snow-shoeing.  But  Fabritius's  promise 
sang  in  my  ears,  and  no  sooner  had  the  autumn  come 
and  the  fields  begun  to  whiten  with  hoar-frost  of  a 


\ 


SCHOOL  LIFE  AND  PASTIMES. 


13 


morning,  than  I  placed  myself  right  in  his  way  vvhere 
I  knew  he  would  come  driving  by. 
•* '  I  say  !     What  about  those  snow-shoes  ?  * 
"  '  You  shall  have  them  right  enough/  he  said,  and 
laughed.     But  I  returned  to  the  charge  day  after  day: 
'  What  about  those  snow-shoes  ?  * 

"  Then  came  winter.  I  can  still  see  my  sister 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room  with  a  long, 
long  parcel  which  she  said  was  for  me.  I  thought 
she  said,  too,  it  was  from  Paris.  But  that  was  a 
mistake,  for  it  was  the  snow-shoes  from  Fabritius — 
a  pair  of  red-lacquered  ash  snow-shoes  with  black 
stripes.  And  there  was  a  long  staff,  too,  with  shining 
blue-lacquered  shaft  and  knob.  I  used  these  snow- 
shoes  for  ten  years.  It  was  on  them  I  made  my  first 
big  jump  on  Huseby  Hill,  where  at  that  time  the 
great  snow-shoe  races  were  held.  We  boys  were  not 
allowed  to  go  there.  We  might  range  all  the  other 
hills  round  about,  but  the  Huseby  Hill  was  forbidden. 
But  we  could  see  it  at  Froen,  and  it  lured  us  day  by 
day  till  we  couldn't  resist  it  any  longer.  At  first 
I  started  from  the  middle  of  the  hill,  like  most  of  the 
other  boys,  and  all  went  well.  But  presently  I  saw 
there  were  one  or  two  who  started  from  the  top  ;  so 
of  course  I  had  to  try  it.  Off  I  set,  came  at  frantic 
speed  to  the  jump,  sailed  for  what  seemed  a  long 
time  in  space,  and  ran  my  snow-shoes  deep  into  a 
snow-drift.  We  didn't  have  our  shoes  fastened  on  in 
those  days,  so  they  remained  sticking  in  the  drift, 
while  I,  head  first,  described  a  fine  arc  in  the  air. 
I  had  such  way  on,  too,  that  when  I  came  down  again 
I  bored  into  the  snow  up  to  my  waist.  There  was 
a  moment's  hush  on  the  hill.    The  boys  thought  I  had 


H 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


broken  my  neck.  But  as  soon  as  they  saw  there  was 
life  in  me,  and  that  I  was  beginning  to  scramble  out, 
a  shout  of  mocking  laughter  went  up  ;  an  endless 
roar  of  derision  over  the  entire  hill  from  top  to 
bottom. 

"  After  that,  I  took  part  in  the  Huseby  Hill  races, 
and  won  a  prize.  But  I  didn't  take  it  home  ;  for 
I  was  put  to  shame  on  that  occasion  as  well.  It  was 
the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  Telemarken  peasants 
snow-shoeing,  and  I  recognised  at  a  glance  that  I  wasn't 
to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with  them.  They 
used  no  staff ;  they  simply  went  ahead  and  made  the 
leap  without  trusting  to  anything  but  the  strength  of 
their  muscles  and  the  firm,  lithe  carriage  of  their  bodies. 
I  saw  that  this  was  the  only  proper  way.  Until  I  had 
mastered  it,  I  wouldn't  have  any  prize."* 

He  made  rapid  progress  in  outdoor  pastimes,  and 
soon  became  famous  as  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
skaters,  skilobers,  and  sportsmen  in  Norway.  He 
and  his  brother,  Alexander,  used  their  ski  in  the 
winter  in  their  daily  journey  to  and  from  their  school 
at  Christiania,  and  many  a  storm  was  braved  by  the 
brothers  in  order  that  they  might  not  miss  their 
studies.  During  the  interval,  therefore,  between 
Fridtjofs  fourth  and  his  eighteenth  year,  while  he 
was  attending  school  at  Christiania,  he  was  steadily 
cultivating  his  capacity  for  physical  endurance.  His 
upbringing  was  of  the  homely,  Spartan  kind  that 
prevails  in  Norway,  distinguished  only  by  extra 
hardihood  i  nd  by  an  utter  carelessness  as  to  the 
comforts  of  life.     Long  fishing  excursions,  in  which 


*  "  Life  of  Nansen  "  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


SCHOOL  LIFE  AND   PASTIMES. 


15 


he  forgot  about  food,  or  hazardous  ascents  of  snow 
mountains,  were  his  principal  relaxations  from  the 
monotony  of  home  and  school  life. 

In  the  first  two  sporting  meetings  at  which  Nansen 
competed  he  won  several  cups,  medals,  and  cham- 
pionship races.  Thus  unconsciously  he  prepared 
himself  for  the  dangers  and  the  strain  upon  his 
physical  powers  that  were  to  come  in  later  years. 

Nansen  himself  writes  in  "The  First  Crossing  of 
Greenland "  : — "  I  have  myself  been  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  ski  since  I  was  four  years  old.  ...  I  know 
of  no  form  of  sport  which  so  evenly  develops  the 
muscles ;  which  renders  the  body  so  strong  and 
elastic ;  which  teaches  so  well  the  qualities  of 
dexterity  and  resource ;  which  in  an  equal  degree 
calls  for  decision  and  resolution,  and  which  gives  the 
same  vigour  and  exhilaration  to  mind  and  body 
alike.  .  .  .  Nor  can  there  be  many  lands  so  well 
fitted  as  ours  for  the  practice  of  skilobning  and  its 
full  development  as  a  sport.  From  our  childhood 
onwards  we  are  accustomed  to  use  our  ski,  and  in 
many  a  mountain  valley,  boys,  and  girls  too,  for 
that  matter,  are  by  their  very  surroundings  forced  to 
take  to  their  ski  almost  as  soon  as  they  can  walk." 

The  hills  about  Froen  witnessed  Nansen's  first  ski 
runs ;  on  the  frozen  ponds  in  Vestre  Aker  he  found 
his  first  inland  ice  ;  and  it  was  to  the  heights  of 
Tryvand  and  Nordmarken  that  he  went  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  work  of  Arctic  exploration. 

At  a  ski  run  which  took  place  *^  February,  1882, 
he  distinguished  himself  by  carrying  off  a  cup,  which 
was  offered  by  his  father  as  a  prize  to  the  best 
skilober  around  Christiania.     This  trophy,  the  Ladies' 


i6 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


Cup,  is  the  subject  of  an  annual  competition  at 
Christiania,  which  attracts  thither  the  fleetest  skil- 
obers  that  Norway  possesses,  the  hills  and  forest 
paths  where  the  races  take  place  being  overcrowded 
with  those  anxious  to  witness  the  keen  contests. 

It  has  been  said  that  as  a  skater  Nansen  also  took 
high  rank.  When  he  was  only  sixteen  years  old  he 
took  the  first  prize  in  the  great  annual  skating  match 
near  Christiania,  and  a  few  years  later  was  second  in 
a  most  important  skating  competition,  the  "King 
Skater,"  King  Ajel  Paulsen,  carrying  off  the  principal 
honours  after  a  supreme  effort. 

Very  early  in  his  boyhood  Fridtjof  showed  a  high 
spirit  of  courage,  a  fondness  for  the  invigorating 
sports  of  his  own  country,  a  love  of  outdoor  recrea- 
tions and  trials  of  physical  strength,  and  he  gloried 
in  the  excitement  and  dangers  of  the  chase. 

As  a  schoolboy  he  was  industrious,  and  passed  out 
of  the  intermediate  school  at  the  age  of  sixteen  with 
distinction.  In  his  teens  much  of  his  spare  time 
was  taken  up  with  sport,  and  ne  used  to  pass  weeks 
at  a  time  alone  in  the  forests.  He  himself  writes 
of  those  days  : — "  I  disliked  having  an  outfit  for 
my  excursions.  I  managed  with  a  crust  of  bread, 
and  broiled  my  fish  on  the  embers.  I  loved  to  live 
like  Robinson  Crusoe  up  there  in  the  solitudes."* 

"There  was  one  thing  that  used  to  annoy  his 
snow-shoeing  cronies  in  those  days,  and  that  was  his 
total  carelessness  as  to  creature  comforts.  If  he 
happened   to    look    from    the   tower   on   Tryvand's 


*  "  Life  of  Nansen  "  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


SCHOOL  LIFE  AND  PASTIMES. 


17 


his 

Ihis 

he 

's 


Height  away  over  to  Stubdal,  twenty  miles  off,  a 
whim  would  all  of  a  sudden  seize  him,  and  nothing 
would  serve  but  he  must  set  off  without  taking  a 
crumb  of  food  with  him.  On  one  'lasion  he 
descended  upon  a  farm  fn  Stubdal  so  ravenously 
hungry  that  the  people  did  not  forget  his  visit  for 
many  a  day."* 

It  was  on  these  long  winter  journeys  that  he 
learned  to  love  nature  with  a  depth  of  love  seldom 
shown  by  boys.  He  early  recognised  that  there 
were  "  no  gains  without  pains,"  and,  alike  in  sport 
and  study,  he  put  his  whole  soul  into  his  task.  He 
was  a  muscular  as  well  as  a  handsome  young  fellow 
— tall,  well-formed,  and  manly,  which  made  him  a 
hero  among  the  lads  who  shared  his  sports.  There 
was  no  recreation  in  which  he  did  not  take  part 
with  keenest  ardour,  and  did  not  soon  become  an 
adept.  He  was  a  born  leader  of  boys,  as  of  men, 
and  a  rival  he  could  not  brook.  Rivalry  for  the 
leadership  was  apt  to  make  him  brusque  and  irritable. 

On  many  an  early  summer  morn  he  was  wont 
to  follow  the  Frogner  river,  which  wound  its  way 
past  the  front  door  at  Froen,  with  angler's  hook  and 
line.  In  this  stream  he  bathed  summer  and  winter, 
frequently  breaking  the  ice  in  winter  to  procure  his 
dip. 

He  never  tired  of  boating  and  sailing,  nor  of 
boarding  the  sealing  or  whaling  vessels  as  they  lay 
in  Christiania  Harbour.  The  rough,  weather-beaten 
sailors  took  a  strong  fancy  to  the  stalwart,  inquisitive 
lad,   who   listened   with    open    mouth    and    dilated 


*  "  Life  of  Nansen"  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


i8 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


pupils  to  their  doings  in  the  land  of  the  seal,  the 
walrus,  and  the  whale,  and  to  the  surmises  about  the 
unknown  regions  beyond. 

That  the  boy  makes  the  man  is  perhaps  more 
evident  in  Nansen's  I'p-growing  than  in  most  cases. 
He  was  ever  a  studious  youth  ;  perhaps  over-much 
given,  in  his  schoolmaster's  eyes,  to  finding  out  the 
why  and  wherefore  of  things.  From  early  childhood 
his  thoughts  were  more  to  him  than  his  meals  ;  and 
when  he  was  absorbed  in  anything  he  was  oblivious 
to  his  surroundings.  His  brothers  and  sisters  were 
frequently  provoked  at  his  everlasting  "  What 's 
that  ?  "  "  But  how  can  that  be  ?  "  He  would  forget 
his  appointments,  and  when  they  went  in  search  of 
him  would  find  him  in  the  usual  "  brown  study." 
"  There 's  the  duffer  at  it  again,"  they  would  angrily 
exclaim.  '*  You  '11  never  come  to  any  good,  you  're 
such  a  dawdler." 

"  In  the  upper  school,"  write  his  biographers, 
"it  is  possible  that  sport  and  a  thousand  and  one 
private  preoccupations  absorbed  too  much  of  his 
time.  In  any  case,  we  find  a  heartfelt  sigh  going 
up  from  the  half-yearly  report  of  his  masters,  Aars 
and  Voss,  in  1879: — 'He  is  unstable,  and  in  several 
subjects  his  progress  is  not  nearly  so  satisfactory  as 
might  have  been  expected.'  It  is  true  that  their 
expectations  were  probably  rather  high  in  the  case  of 
a  boy  who  astonished  his  teacher  of  mathematics  by 
giving  a  geometrical  solution  of  a  problem  in 
arithmetic."*  Nansen  was,  however,  conscious  of 
powers  which  only    required  development  to  secure 


"  Life  of  Nansen  "  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


SCHOOL   LIFE  AND   PASTLMES. 


19 


unbounded  success  ;  but  lic  was  too  wise  to  muse 
over  useless  ambition,  and  turning  to  the  work  that 
lay  nearest  his  hand  he  did  it  with  all  his  might, 
contented  to  bide  his  time.  Thus  early  in  life  he 
took  to  natural  science  and  original  research,  and 
showed  that  he  was  compounded  of  intense  curiosity, 
utter  indifference  to  personal  comfort,  all  engrossing 
ambition,  and  a  resolution  as  hard  as  adamant. 

Nansen  was  a  reckless  climber — at  times  utterly 
regardless  of  life  and  limb — and  his  escapes  from 
death    can    only    be    accounted     for    by    his    fine 


SKI. 

Style  of  Telemarken  Ski  (with  two  grooves  in  the  bottom),  and 
Finmarken  Ski  (plain  or  one  groove). 


Extra  long  flat  Ski,  as  used  by  Dr.  Nansen  for  smooth  ice. 

physique,  and  that  immortality  which  attends  men 
whose  work  is  not  yet  done.  The  story  of  how 
he  crossed  Vosseskavlen  by  night,  in  the  dead  of 
winter,  has  been  told  by  himself  His  daring  made 
ihe  peasants,  on  whom  he  unexpectedly  called  for 
something  to  eat,  stand  aghast  with  fright  when  they 
heard  of  his  intention.  Not  even  the  best  skilober 
in  the  district  would  dare  the  same  feat.  As  ski 
formed  so  important  a  feature  in  the  Arctic  work  of 
Dr.  Nansen,  a  description  of  these  articles  and  their 
uses  may  prove  of  interest. 


*\\'"  ' 


20 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


In  "  The  First  Crossing  of  Greenland "  Nansen 
says : — "  Ski  are  long  narrow  strips  of  wood,  those 
used  in  Norway  being  from  three  to  four  inches  in 
breadth,  eight  feet,  more  or  less,  in  length,  one  inch  in 
thickness  at  the  centre  under  the  foot,  and  bevelling 
off  to  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  at  either  end.  In 
front  they  are  curved  upwards  and  pointed,  and  they 
are  sometimes  a  little  turned  up  at  the  back  end  too. 
The  sides  are  more  or  less  parallel,  though  the  best 
forms  have  their  greatest  width  in  front,  just  where 
the  upward  curve  begins,  but  otherwise  they  are  quite 
straight  and  flat,  and  the  under  surface  is  made  as 
smooth  as  possible.  The  attachment  consists  of  a 
loop  for  the  toe,  made  of  leather  or  some  other  sub- 
stance, and  fixed  at  about  the  centre  of  the  ski,  and  a 
band  which  passes  from  this  round  behind  the  heel  of 
the  hoe.  The  principle  of  this  fastening  is  to  make 
the  ski  and  foot  as  rigid  as  possible  for  steering 
purposes,  while  the  heel  is  allowed  to  rise  freely  from 
the  ski  at  all  sides." 

The  ski  are  driven  forward,  they  are  not  lifted. 
With  the  snow  in  good  condition,  the  rate  of  progress 
is  surprising,  and  without  great  effort  a  speed  of  from 
eight  to  nine  miles  an  hour  may  be  kept  up  on  ski 
for  a  considerable  time — 70  or  80  miles  a-day  being 
no  unusual  achievement. 


«"^A.^*jfe#^j>.fil^'-» 


CHAPTER  II. 


SCIENCE,  SPORT,  AND  EXPLORATION. 


IN   1880  Nansen  matriculated  with  credit,  proving 
that    distractions    had    not  seriously  interfered 
with  his  studies.      He   got   a   first-class   in   all 
natural     science      subjects,    mathematics,    and 
history;  and  when,  in  December,  1881,  he  went  up 
for    his    second    examination    he    was    classed    as 
laudabilis  proe  ceteris. 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  he  finally  decided  to 
take  up  zoology  as  a  special  study.  In  1880  he  had 
entered  the  University  of  Christiania,  the  only  insti- 
tution of  the  kind  in  Norway,  where  he  had  manifested 
a  strong  scientific  bent.  He  was  specially  fond  of 
zoology,  and  soon  became  known  at  the  University 
as  an  enthusiastic  zoologist. 

In  1882,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  at  the 
advice  of  Professor  Collett,  he  went  as  a  passenger  to 
the  polar  seas  in  a  Norwegian  sealing  steamer  named 

the  Viking,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  his  zoologi- 

21 


22 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


cal   knowledge,   and   likewise    to    train    himself  for 
zoological  research. 

The  vessel  was  ice-bound  for  twenty-four  days  off 
the  mysterious  and  fascinating  east  coast  of  Green- 
land, in  latitude  66"  50'  N.  In  "  The  First  Crossing 
of  Greenland  "  the  young  explorer  states  : — "  Many- 
times  a-day  from  the  maintop  were  my  glasses  turned 
westward,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  a  young 
man's  fancy  was  drawn  irresistibly  to  the  charms  and 
mysteries  of  this  unknown  world." 

This  cruise  occupied  nearly  six  months,  and  served 
a  double  purpose.  It  enabled  Nansen  to  add  con- 
siderably to  his  knowledge  of  zoology,  and  he  received 
his  first  lessons  in  ice  navigation.  His  party  were 
frozen  in  off  the  east  Greenland  coast  at  the  end 
of  June.  He  complains  that  this  was  the  more 
deplorable  as  it  was  the  best  time  for  seal  catching. 
The  young  explorer  consoled  himself  for  the  dis- 
appointment by  bear  shooting  and  by  scientific 
research.  Everything  he  captures — animals,  birds, 
and  insects — he  conscientiously  examines.  He  carries 
out  the  instructions  given  him  by  his  professors  with 
great  faithfulness, 'and  proves  by  the  work  done  that 
he  was  an  ardent  zoologist. 

On  his  return  he  contributed  articles  to  both 
scientific  and  sporting  journals.  In  the  formei-  he 
showed  that  he  was  the  fortunate  possessor  of  keen 
receptive  and  perceptive  faculties,  his  chapters  on 
the  habits  of  the  seal  and  polar  bear  being  especially 
worthy  of  remark.  In  the  latter  he  gave  a  number  of 
demonstrations  in  rifle  firing.  During  his  enforced 
stay  on  the  Greenland  coast,  he  shot  more  than  five 
hundred   seals   and   fourteen   polar   bears,   many   of 


SCIENCE,  SrORT,  AND   EXPLORATION. 


23 


whose  skins  now  adorn  his  study  at  Lysaker.  His 
descriptions  have  both  animation  and  insight,  and 
call  up  with  clearness  the  .scenes  of  his  exploits.  He 
owes  much  to  the  fact  that  he  could  use  both  pen  and 
gun  with  equal  facility  at  an  early  age. 

The  following  entry  is  from  his  diary  of  the  voyage, 
dated  the  28th  of  June,  and  gives  a  glowing  account 
of  the  perils  and  delights  of  his  first  bear  hunt  in 
high  latitudes : — "  As  I  lay  peacefully  this  morning 
dreaming  of  bears  which  I  never  got  hold  of,  I  was 
awakened  by  a  whisper  in  my  ear,  '  You  had  better 
turn  out,  for  we  have  got  a  bear  right  under  the  ship's 
side.'  Hardly  had  I  heard  the  word  'bear'  before  I 
spr  .ng  up,  rubbed  my  eyes,  gazed  with  astonishment 
at  the  second  mate,  who  continued  whispering,  as  if 
the  bear  were  outside  the  cabin  door,  '  You  must  look 
sharp  ; '  and  look  sharp  I  did,  for  I  was  up  and  on 
deck  in  a  moment  with  rifle  and  cartridges.  Quite 
right ;  there  was  the  bear  within  range,  quietly  and 
reflectively  walking  backwards  and  forwards,  and 
stopping  now  and  then  to  sniff  the  air  and  scrutinise 
the  ship,  which  was  evidently  a  novelty.  There  is 
no  hurry,  I  thought ;  I  can  very  well  wait  and  enjoy 
the  sight  of  this  splendid,  proud  animal  till  the  captain 
comes.  But  why  does  he  not  come  ?  Yes,  there  he 
is  at  last ;  and  I  was  just  burning  to  speak  to  him 
when  I  heard  a  report.  As  if  stung  by  a  serpent  I 
rushed  up,  in  order  that  I,  too,  might  at  least  send  a 
shot  after  the  bear  on  his  journey.  But  no.  Undis- 
turbed by  such  trifles,  he  still  walked  quietly  about, 
although  the  bullet  had  struck  the  snow  close  beside 
him.  The  shot  was  from  one  of  the  seal-shooters, 
who  could  no  longer  restrain  himself.     It  was  there- 


24 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


II' :  I 


fore  best  to  make  our  way  on  to  the  ice  without 
further  delay.     Once  down   I  crept  along,  and  was 
soon  within  range,  but  the  bear  had  meanwhile  caught 
sight  of  me,  and  had  gone  up  on  to  a  hummock  or 
crag  of  ice  to  reconnoitre.     It  was  a  pretty  sight. 
I  aimed  just  behind  the  shoulder — one  does  not  shoot 
in  the  head  for  fear  of  spoiling  the  skull  and  skin — 
pulled  the  trigger  of  my  rifle,  and — it  missed  fire. 
It  was  fatal,  and  to  make  everything  complete,  the 
cartridge   stuck    fast,  so  that   I  nearly  tore   all  my 
nails  off  in  getting  it  out.     At  last,  however,  it  slipped 
out,  and  I  was  ready  to  begin  again.     Luckily  the 
bear,  instead  of  running   away  as  I  had   expected, 
approached  and  showed  me  his  broad  breast.    I  aimed 
straight  into  the  whirl  of  white  fur,  and   this  time 
there  was  a  report.     Bruin  did  not  like  his  reception  ; 
he  growled,  bit  the  ground,  fell  over,  but  jumped  up 
again  directly,  and  started  off.     I  put  another  cart- 
ridge into  my  rifle,  and  sent  a  bullet  into  his  hind- 
quarters, which  were  now  the  only  visible  parts  of 
him.     A  new  growl,  and  a  still  more  hasty  retreat. 
I  followed  him  from  floe  to  floe,  but  at  last  they 
became  too  far  apart  for  him  to  jump,  and  he  had  to 
take  to  the  water.     In  this  way  I  gained  on  him,  and 
put  a  bullet  between  the  shoulder-blades,  just  as  he 
was  climbing  up  the  other  side  of  a  large  piece  of  ice. 
He  was  done  for  now,  and  fell  back  into  the  water, 
looking  at  me  furiously  out  of  his  small,  fiery,  black 
eyes,  but  could  do  no  more.     Another  bullet,  and  his 
sufferings  were  at  an  end."* 

On  this  journey  Nansen  sighted  Jan  Mayen  and 


Longmans  Magazine^  July,  1894. 


SCIENCE,   SrORT,   AND   EXPLORATION. 


25 


Spitzbergen,  and  spent  some  time  in  Iceland,  where 
he  afterwards  landed  previous  to  his  crossing  of 
Greenland. 

One  of  his  finest  trophies  at  Lysaker  is  a  skin  of 
one  of  the  largest  bears  shot  by  the  party.  This 
lies  under  his  writing-table,  and  Nansen  jocularly 
remarked  concerning  it : — "  I  can  truly  say  that  I  sit 
with  my  foot  on  the  neck  of  my  enemy  ! " 

The  bladder-nose  seal  is  the  largest  and  strongest 
seal  to  be  found  in  Arctic  waters.  Such  is  its 
immense  power  it  can  readily  jump  out  of  the  sea, 
describe  a  curve  in  the  air,  and  plump  down  on  the 
edge  of  a  floe  that  stands  six  or  seven  feet  above  the 
surface.  Nansen,  on  his  first  voyage,  was  attacked 
by  a  fierce-looking  male  bladder-nose  that  leapt  over 
the  gunwale  of  his  attacking  boat.  "  He  struck  at 
me,"  says  Nansen,  "  with  his  teeth,  missed  me,  but 
caught  the  woodwork,  on  which  he  left  deep  marks." 

Nansen  tells  us  that  seal  shooting  is  excellent 
practice,  and  tends  to  make  one  a  cool  and  steady 
rifle-shot,  "  for  the  thing  is  to  hit  the  seal  only  in  the 
head,  or,  at  worst,  in  the  neck.  .  .  .  To  hit  him  else- 
where is  Vvorse  than  missing  him  clean,  as  if  shot  in 
the  body  he  takes  to  the  water  at  once." 

Although  from  the  point  of  view  of  excitement  and 
scientific  research  this,  his  first  Arctic  cruise,  was  a 
success,  so  far  as  the  sealing  was  concerned  it  was  a 
failure,  for  by  the  time  the  ice  gave  way  the  sealing 
season  was  over,  and  they  had  nothing  better  to  do 
but  set  their  course  homeward.  Nansen  ends  the 
account  of  the  journey  thus  : — "  Lightly  the  Viking 
sped  over  the  waves  as  fast  as  wind  and  steam  could 
carry  her,  and  great  was  the  joy  on  board  when  the 


I 


Ml-i  '' 


1 ,. 


!     II 


■J  I  I 


26 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


weather-beaten  peaks  of  dear  old  Norway  appeared 
in  sight,  rising  from  the  sea." 

What  the  Arctic  regions  are  like,  as  also  something 
of  Nansen's  power  of  vividly  describing  them,  may 
be  gathered  from  the  following  extract : — "  To  give 
those  who  have  not  seen  this  world  of  ice  an  idea  of 
what  it  looks  like  is  not  easy,  as  it  is  so  different  from 
anything  else.  It  is  a  strange  thing  with  this  region 
that  when  you  are  there  you  think  it  sometimes 
monotonous  perhaps  ;  but  when  you  are  away  from 
it  you  long  to  get  back  again  to  its  white,  vast 
solitude. 

"  When  you  approach  the  ice-fields  of  the  polar  sea 
you  hear  them  afar  off  by  the  noise  of  the  breakers 
against  the  floes ;  it  sounds  like  the  strange  roar 
of  a  distant  earthquake  or  thunderstorm.  Over  the 
horizon  to  the  north  you  will  also  see  a  strange  light ; 
this  is  the  white  reflection  which  the  ice  throws  on  the 
sky  above.  When  you  sail  on  you  will  after  a  while 
begin  to  meet  the  white  floes  riding  on  the  dark 
water.  It  is  along  the  margin  of  this  ice  that  the 
sealer  hunts  for  the  seal ;  between  these  tremendous 
floes  he  forces  his  way  with  his  strong  ship  to  his 
prey.  But  many  a  hard  struggle  he  has  to  fight  here 
when  the  elements  are  in  tumult.  Nothing  more 
foaming  wild  than  a  tempest  in  the  winter-night  in 
the  north  can  easily  be  imagined.  When  the  storm 
whistles  over  sea  and  ice,  lashes  snow  and  foam  in  your 
facC;,  and  seizes  you  so  that  you  cannot  stand  on 
deck;  when  the  waves  rise  into  huge  water-moun- 
tains, between  which  the  ship  disappears,  and  is  all 
in  foam  ;  when  sea  and  ice  meet,  and  the  waves  rise 
like  towers  and  break  in  over  the  floes  like  greenish- 


SCIENCE,  SPORT,  AND   EXPLORATION. 


27 


yellow  waterfalls,  and  the  huge  floes  are  thrown 
against  each  other  and  crushed  into  dust,  while  the 
water  foams  and  ice-blocks  are  thrown  high  against 
the  dark  sky — then  it  may  happen  that  you  will  feel  the 
wild  horror  of  the  polar  sea.  No  stars,  no  northern 
lights,  no  light  of  any  kind  over  this  furious  uproar. 
Heavy  storm-charged  clouds  fly  across  the  sky  ;  all 
around  you  is  blackness  and  darkness,  noise  and 
tumult.  It  is  the  wild  demons  of  nature  in  fight. 
It  thunders  and  roars,  it  hisses  and  whistles  in  every 
direction — it  is  the  Ragnarok  which  is  coming ;  the 
world  is  shaking  to  its  foundations. 

"  But  in  the  middle  of  this  wild  fight  of  the  sea  and 
the  demons,  between  these  tower-like  waves,  a  small 
frail  work  of  man  is  riding,  a  ship  with  living  men  on 
board.  Woe  to  them  if  they  now  make  a  single 
mistake;  woe  to  them  if  they  come  too  near  one 
of  these  floes  or  put  the  ship's  bow  between  them 
at  the  moment  they  strike  together ;  in  the  next 
instant  they  will  be  crushed  and  disappear!  But 
through  the  noise  words  of  command  can  be  heard  ; 
punctually  they  are  obeyed ;  the  sealer  steers  quietly 
his  way  out  into  the  sea.  He  is  accustomed  to  such 
a  turmoil,  and  he  knows  that  the  world  will  still  last 
a  while. 

"  But  there  is  not  only  storm  in  the  polar  sea ; 
indeed,  it  can  be  just  as  mild  and  peaceful  there  as  a 
day  in  spring  at  home,  with  bright  sunshine  and 
glittering  snow.  When  you  come  some  distance  into 
the  ice  it  is  so  as  a  rule,  and  that  which  most  often 
comes  before  my  memory  when  I  think  of  the  polar 
regions  is  not  the  storms,  not  the  hardships,  but  this 
strange  peace,  so  far  from  the  vortex  of  the  world, 


.111 


28 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


■Ill' 


when  from  the  bright  blue  sky  the  sun  is  pouring  its 
flood  of  h'ght  over  the  white,  snow-covered  ice,  out- 
ward and  outward  to  the  horizon.  It  glitters  in  the 
snow  and  sparkles  in  the  deep  blue  water  ;  it  gleams 
and  glitters  everywhere  around,  while  cold  blue  tints 
are  reflected  from  the  sides  of  the  floes,  and  border 
them  with  all  tints  of  blue  and  green,  clear  as  the 
clearest  crystal,  far  down  into  the  cold,  transparent 
water.  And  in  the  sunshine  the  seals  are  lying  in 
thousands  and  thousands  on  the  floes,  enjoying  life. 
Some  of  them  sleep,  others  are  busy  with  their 
toilette,  and  prune  and  scratch  themselves ;  others 
again  are  playing,  whilst  some  are  in  the  water  and 
dive  up  and  down,  and  the  sun  is  shining  on  their 
wet  heads.  The  whole  is  a  picture  of  the  most 
perfect,  charming  peace,  and  the  memory  never 
wearies  of  recalling  it  to  view. 

"But  when  you  penetrate  farther  into  ice,  and 
farther  northward,  the  open  water  gradually  dis- 
appears, and  the  sea  is  totally  covered  by  immense 
drifting  ice-floes ;  the  whole  world  becomes  one  field 
of  white,  snow-covered  ice ;  only  now  and  then 
between  the  floes  a  narrow  strip  of  dark  water  can  be 
seen.  Soon  all  life  also  disappears ;  no  seals  any 
longer — such  as  those  keep  near  open  water ;  neither 
any  birds ;  the  only  animal  which  you  may  perhaps 
meet  is  a  single  lonely  polar  bear,  but  soon  he  also 
disappears,  and  there  is  nothing  left  except  yourself 
and  the  endless  ice  in  constant  drift  across  the  sea 
towards  the  south,  towards  warmth  and  sun,  where  it 
is  soon  destroyed.  So  extends  the  polar  sea  north- 
ward and  northward  to  the  Pole. 

'•  In  the  summer  the  sun  is  shining  all  day  and 


SCIENCE,  SPORT,   AND   EXPLORATION. 


29 


night,  and  circulates  round  and  round  in  the  sky,  and 
never  disappears  until  the  autumn  comes ;  but  then 
begins  the  long,  dark  winter  night,  which  at  the  Pole 
itself  lasts  six  months.  Then  the  itars  are  constantly 
shining  over  the  desolate  snow-fields.  When  the 
moon  comes  it  circulates  round  the  sky  and  shines 
day  and  night  until  it  disappears  again.  But  some- 
times the  northern  lights  begin  their  play,  this  great 
mystery  of  the  north ;  then  there  comes  life ;  it 
scintillates  and  burns  ;  sparkling  lights  and  rays  are 
running  to  and  fro  over  the  whole  sky,  until  they 
disappear  again,  leaving  the  scene  quiet  and  desolate 
as  before. 

"  In  this  dead,  frozen  world  it  is  that  the  polar 
explorer  has  to  live.  There  he  roams  with  sledge  and 
dogs  in  summer,  and  from  thence  he  sends  longing 
thoughts  in  the  dark  winter  night  southward  to  the 
dear  ones  at  home,  over  whom  the  same  stars  are 
twinkling  in  their  cold  peace."  * 

When  ice-bound  off  East  Greenland  on  this  journey 
of  1882,  he  brooded  over  plans  for  reaching  and 
exploring  the  mysterious  coast  which  so  many  had 
sought  in  vain,  and  he  even  asked  the  captain's 
permission  to  be  allowed  to  take  a  boat  and  attempt 
to  cross  the  intervening  floes.  This,  however,  the 
captain  could  not  permit,  as  he  was  out  for  sealing, 
not  exploring.  The  idea  of  penetrating  inland  also 
crossed  his  mind  about  this  time  ;  but  it  was  not  until 
the  autumn  of  1883  that  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
crossing  from  shore  to  shore.  In  "The  First  Cross- 
ing of  Greenland  "  he  tells  us  : — "  One  autumn  evcn- 


*  The  Strand  Magazine^  December,  1893. 


I  U'-  I 


30 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


I   i- 


ing  in  the  following  year,  that  is  to  say,  1883 — I 
remember  it  still,  as  if  it  were  only  yesterday — I  was 
sitting  and  listening  indifferently  as  the  day's  paper 
was  being  read.  Suddenly  my  attention  was  roused 
by  a  telegram  which  told  us  that  Nordenskiold  had 
come  back  safe  from  his  expedition  to  the  interior 
of  Greenland  ;  that  he  had  found  no  oasis,  b'lt  only 
endless  snovvfields,  on  which  his  Lapps  were  said 
to  have  covered  on  their  ski  an  extraordinarily  long 
distance  in  an  astonishingly  short  time.  The  idea 
flashed  upon  me  at  once  of  an  expedition  crossing 
Greenland  on  ski  from  coast  to  coast.  Here  was 
the  plan  in  the  same  form  in  which  it  was  afterwards 
laid  before  the  public  and  eventually  carried  out." 

In  the  autumn  of  1882,  Nansen  was  appointed  cura- 
tor of  Bergen  Museum,  and  soon  enhanced  his  reputa- 
tion by  the  publication  of  many  scientific  pamphlets. 

During  this  curatorship  he  made  numerous  journeys 
up  the  Hardanger  and  Sogne  Fjords,  which  lie  on 
either  side  of  Bergen.  Around  these,  the  two  most 
celebrated  fjords  of  Norway,  the  grandest  scenery 
which  that  country  possesses  is  to  be  seen.  The 
voyager  up  or  down  these  magnificent  fjords  will 
see  hills  towering  skywards,  and  adamantine  cliffs 
descending  sheer  down  into  the  clear  blue  sea. 
Indeed,  "  for  the  lover  of  scenery,  the  yacntsman, 
the  sportsman,  the  student  of  archaeology,  geology, 
natural  history,  and  botany,  or  for  the  tourist,  pro- 
bably no  portion  of  northern  Europe  contains  more 
of  general  interest  than  the  fjords  and  the  fjelds  of 
the  Hardanger."* 


*"In  the  Northman's  Land"  (Sampson  Low,  Marston  &.  Co.). 


SCIENCE,  SPORT,  AND   EXPLORATION. 


31 


In  the  winter  of  1886,  Hansen  crossed  the  moun- 
tains from  Christiania  to  Bergen,  frequently  passing 
the  night  in  a  snowdrift.  When  nearing  his  destina- 
tion he  fell  down  some  precipitous  crags,  and  bruised 
himself  severely.  In  the  following  year  an  earnest 
request  reached  him  from  the  inhabitants  of  a  village 
near  Bergen  to  *'  come  and  hunt  some  bears  which 
are  carrying  off  our  cattle." 

In  his  various  excursions  carried  on  for  science 
and  sport  Nansen  became  very  familiar  with  the 
vast  stretches  of  woodland,  of  rocky  mountains,  of 
lakes,  of  rivers,  of  glaciers,  and  of  snowfields  that 
go  to  make  up  his  dear  Norway.  In  winter  he 
could  be  seen  on  ski  or  skates,  and  in  summer  he 
spent  all  spare  hours  in  boating  and  shooting  excur- 
sions. 

A  friend  of  his  tells  me  that  Nansen  spent  three 
summers  in  a  littie  country  place  on  the  coast  near 
Bergen,  examining  the  animals  on  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  there. 

In  1885,  Nansen  won  the  Bergen  Museum  gold 
medal  for  a  paper  entitled  "  Contributions  to  a 
Knowledge  of  the  Anatomy  and  Histology  of  the 
Myzostomida  "  (Bergen,  1885). 

A  memoir  on  the  same  subject  was  contributed  in 
1887  to  the  Jena  Zeitschrift  fiir  Naturwissenschaft, 
Band  XXI. 

It  was  in  1887  that  Nansen  obtained  his  degree 
as  Doctor  of  Philosophy  for  his  treatise  on  "  The 
Structure  and  Combination  of  the  Histological 
Elements  of  the  Central  Nervous  System." 

The  biological  work  of  Nansen  is  little  known 
outside  the  circle  of  specialists,  and  yet  before  he 


32 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


t:. 


i' 


I 


\' 


III!  |i   I 


set  out  on  his  attempt  to  cross  Greenland  he  had 
done  good  scientific  work.  When  settled  down  a^ 
Bergen  he  b'^gan  the  histological  study  of  some 
lower  orders,  which  constitutes  his  claim  to  scientific 
recognition.  He  commenced  his  research  here  with 
an  attempt  to  trace  the  secondary  variations  in  the 
myzostoma,  a  group  of  parasitic  worms,  by  a  close 
microscopic  examination  of  their  structure  and 
organs.  From  this  he  took  up  the  nervous  system 
of  the  invertebrates  and  subvertebrates  on  a  broader 
scale,  and,  in  the  course  of  his  inquiries,  visited  in 
the  spring  of  1886  the  renowned  marine  laboratory 
at  Naples.  Nansen  frequently  stated  that  he  was 
quite  prepared  to  put  up  with  the  simplest  of  living 
to  enable  him  to  get  funds  to  prosecute  his  scientific 
studies.  In  1885,  as  we  have  seen,  he  had  been 
awarded  the  Joachim  Friele  gold  medal  for  his 
work  on  the  myzostoma ;  but  he  had  actually  taken 
the  medal  in  copper,  and  applied  the  value  of  the 
gold  to  the  furtherance  of  his  travels  and  his  task 
at  the  Naples  laboratory.  This  visit  added  g.eatly 
to  his  scientific  knowledge,  and  his  country  was 
benefited  by  his  travels,  for  so  much  was  he  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  this,  ^ne  first  in- 
stitution of  its  kind,  that  on  his  return  home  one 
of  his  earliest  tasks  was  to  moot  the  establishment 
of  similar  stations  along  the  Norwegian  coast,  a  work 
that  was  carried  out  several  years  later. 

Nansen  next  worked  out  and  demonstrated  the 
law  of  the  bifurcation  of  sensitive  nerve  roots,  an 
important  contribution  to  histological  science,  which 
gave  him  a  prominent  place  among  biologists. 

Great,  however,  as  was   his   devotion    to  science, 


■1 


I  i 


§g^^:f^i£nlMMM^':: 


SCIENCE,  SPORT,  AND  EXPLORATION. 


33 


Nansen  was  alive  to  other  and  more  tender  attrac- 
tions, and  when  his  time  came  could  go  out  to 
conquer  in  that  sphere  also.  Early  in  1889,  on  a 
ski  expedition  among  the  hills  around  Christiania, 
he  met  Miss  Eva  Sars,  the  young  lady  who  after- 
wards became  his  wife,  was  engaged  to  her  in  August, 
and  they  were  married  in  September  of  the  same 
year. 


..    ■  ...   .-^  .  )      > 


NANSRN    IN    HIS   KAVAK. 


CHAPTER   III. 


FIRST  CROSSING  OF  GREENLAND. 


.    !i 


NANSEN  held  his  appointment  at  Bergen 
Museum  until  1888,  when,  after  six  years' 
deliberation,  he  started  on  his  memorable 
journey  over  the  Greenland  ice  plateau,  and 
traced  on  the  map  of  that  country  a  dotted  line 
which  will  never  be  erased.  His  great  feat  of  cross- 
ing the  island  from  east  to  west  established  his 
reputation  as  an  explorer  and  scientist  of  the  first 
rank.  Nansen  was  fully  alive  to  the  dangerous 
nature  of  his  expedition.  He  knew  that  the  European 
press  had  denounced  his  scheme  as  that  of  a  mad- 
man's ;  that  they  prophesied  for  him  and  all  who 
accompanied  the  expedition  a  horrible  and  lingering 
death  from  starvation  among  the  ice-floes,  or  on  the 
snow-covered  wastes  of  the  inland  ice :  yet,  in  the 
face  of  all  opposition,  he  went,  accompanied  by 
chosen  men.  Much  ridicule  was  centred  on  his  effort. 
One  Norwegian  comic  paper  published  the  following 
34 


FIRST  CROSSING  OF  GREENLAND. 


35 


advertisement: — "Notice.  —  In  the  month  of  June 
next,  Curator  Nansen  will  give  a  snow-shoe  display, 
with  long  jumps,  on  the  ice  of  Greenland.  Reserved 
seats  in  the  crevasses.     Return  ticket  unnecessary." 

The  first  half  of  the  year  1888  was  perhaps  the 
busiest  six  months  Nansen  ever  faced.  "At  the 
beginning  of  December,  1887,  he  is  back  in  Bergen. 
At  the  end  of  January,  1888,  he  goes  on  snow-shoes 
from  Eidfjord  in  Hardanger,  by  way  of  Numedal,  to 
Kongsberg,  and  thence  to  Christiania.  In  March  he 
is  in  Bergen  again,  lecturing  on  nature  and  life  in 
Greenland.  One  day,  or  rather  night,  we  find  him 
camping  on  the  top  of  Blaamanden,  near  Bergen, 
to  test  his  sleeping-bag,  and  a  week  later  he  is  on  the 
rostrum  in  Christiania  giving  his  first  trial  lecture  for 
his  doctor's  degree,  on  the  structure  of  the  sexual 
organs  in  the  myxine.  On  April  28th  he  defends 
his  doctorial  thesis,  *  The  Nerve  Elements :  their 
Structure  and  Connection  in  the  Central  Nervous 
System  ; '  and  on  May  2nd  he  sets  off  for  Copen- 
hagen, on  his  way  to  Greenland."  * 

Nansen  and  his  five  companions  —  Sverdrup, 
Dietrichson,  Trana,  Balto,  and  Ravna ;  the  first  three 
being  Norwegian,  and  the  other  two  "  River-Lapps  " 
— all  famed  skilobers  —  were  the  first  to  cross  the 
inland  ice,  and  his  book,  "The  First  Crossing  of 
Greenland,"  translated  into  many  languages,  made  his 
name  famous  throughout  the  world.  In  it,  when  we 
at  last  get  to  his  own  work,  we  have  a  graphic 
description  of  his  perilous  journey  over  the  drift- 
ing ice-floes  off  the   east   coast   in    his   attempt   to 


*  .1 


*  "Life  of  Nansen"  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


h  li 


Ik' 


!b 


!  r 


'^  H 


36 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


reach  land,  and  details  of  the  daring  and  heroic 
crossing  to  the  west  coast,  over  boundless  snowfields, 
till  the  party  finally  reached  Godthaab.  During  the 
journey  on  the  inland  ice  the  cold  was  so  intense 
that  even  the  woollen  socks  upon  their  feet  were 
frozen  solid.  They  were  storm-bound  for  days 
together,  and   frequently   the  tempests   racked   their 


■"U'.  1 1, 1 II  waf{iiii. 


u:^:i_ii^ 


;'i:   -^Si-^  ^'^^^^^^^^^^0- 


SVERDRUP.  DIETRICHSON.  NANSEN. 

COOKING    UNDER   DIFFICULTIES    IN   THE    FIRST  CROSSING 

OF   GREENLAND. 

tents  to  pieces ;  on  the  march  the  sledge  ropes  burnt 
their  shoulders,  but,  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  "  west- 
ward "  was  the  only  order.  There  was  fortunately  no 
choice  of  routes.  It  was  death — or  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland.  At  Godthaab  they  had  to  winter,  owing 
to  the  last  vessel  being  unable  to  wait  for  them, 
although  opportunity  was  given  them  to  send  two 


FIRST   CROSSING  OF   GREENLAND. 


37 


letters  home — one  from  Nansen  to  Herr  Gam^l,  of 
Copenhagen,  the  other  from  Sverdrup  to  his  father. 
Nansen  says : — "  These  two  letters  brought  to  Europe 
the  first  news  of  our  having  reached  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland,  and  contained  all  that  was  known  of  our 
journey  for  six  months.  In  one  respect  they  hold,  per- 
haps, a  somewhat  unusual  position,  for  their  postage 
came  to  no  less  than  £17."  It  was  the  ship  Fox,  of 
McClintock  fame,  that  brought  the  letters  to  Europe. 

They  all  returned  to  Norway  in  June,  1889,  in  the 
best  of  health,  a  high  tribute,  indeed,  to  Nansen's 
intelligent  judgment. 

As  a  writer,  Nansen's  treatment  of  his  subject  is 
fascinating.  This,  *'  The  First  Crossing  of  Greenland," 
and  his  later  important  anthropological  book,  "  The 
Eskimo,"  which  has  been  translated  into  English  by 
Mr.  William  Archer,  sufficiently  show.  The  latter 
publication  is  the  outcome  of  his  winter's  residence  at 
Godthaab,  for  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  wandering 
amongst  the  natives,  dwelling  in  their  huts,  taking 
part  in  their  dangerous  hunting  excursions  on  land 
and  sea,  and  becoming  a  proficient  "  kayaker "  and 
sledge  driver.  At  considerable  inconvenience  and 
sacrifice  of  his  sensibilities — for  the  stench  which 
arises  from  ^he  filthy  surroundings  of  the  Eskimo  is, 
to  a  refined  European,  appalling — Nansen  lived  their 
life  in  his  endeavour  to  obtain  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  their  habits.  The  Greenianders  are  an  extremely 
interesting  people,  and  in  this  book  Dr.  Nansen  not 
only  gives  an  account  of  his  own  wanderings  and 
observations,  but  a  general  account  of  the  life, 
mann'^rs,  morals,  and  numerous  superstitions  which 
have  survived  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 


ir  ' 


38 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


I  I 

k 


HI 

i 
J 


II 


His  journey  produced  a  treasure-house  of  scientific 
fact  and  thrilling  adventure,  and  revealed  to  the  world 
this  unparalleled  and  heroic  feat,  besides  showing  the 
possibilities  to  come  in  the  event  of  this  brave  servant 
of  science  continuing  his  schemes  of  exploration. 

On  their  triumphant  return  they  became  the  heroes 
of  the  day.  Every  town  in  Europe  united  in  paying 
tribute  to  Dr.  Nansen  and  his  brave  comrades  for  the 
indomitable  pluck  and  perseverance  shown  through- 
out their  hazardous  and  dangerous  journey. 

Nansen  subsequently  visited  France,  Germany, 
and  Great  Britain,  where  he  lectured  to  intensely 
interested  audiences  on  his  adventures  in  the  crossing 
of  the  vast  icy  continent.  He  is  well  known  to  the 
British  public,  and  his  striking  figure  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  objects  in  the  streets  and  drawing- 
rooms  of  London  in  the  summer  of  1889.  He  visited 
England  again  in  1892,  and  made  many  friends 
wherever  he  went.  On  his  return  from  Greenland, 
he  became  a  member  of  a  host  of  geographical  and 
scientific  societies,  and  received  many  gold  medals 
and  other  distinctions.  In  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  (1891,  page  294)  we  learn 
that  the  Victoria  medal  of  that  Society  was  conferred 
upon  him  in  1801  for  the  following  reasons: — "The 
Patrons  of  the  Victoria  medal,  to  Dr.  Fridtjof  Nansen, 
for  having  been  the  first  to  cross  the  inland  ice  of 
Greenland,  a  perilous  and  daring  achievement,  entail- 
ing a  journey  of  more  than  three  months  ;  thirty - 
seven  days  of  which  were  passed  at  great  elevations, 
and  in  the  climate  of  an  Arctic  winter,  obliging  him 
to  lead  a  forlorn  hope  with  the  knowledge  that  there 
could  be  no  retreat,  and  that  failure  must  involve  the 


FIRST   CROSSING   OF   GREENLAND. 


39 


destruction  of  himself  and  his  companions,  and  call- 
ing forth  the  highest  qualities  of  an  explorer ;  for 
having  taken  a  series  of  astronomical  and  meteoro- 
logical observations,  under  circumstances  of  extreme 
difficulty  and  privation,  during  a  march  which  required 
exceptional  powers  of  strength  and  endurance  and 
mental  faculties  of  high  order,  as  well  as  the  qualities 
of  a  scientific  geographer  for  its  successful  accomplish- 
ment ;  and  for  his  discovery  of  the  physical  character 
of  the  interior  of  Greenland,  as  well  as  for  other 
valuable  and  scientific  results  of  his  expedition." 
This  aptly  expresses  Nansen's  reasons  for  his  crossing 
of  Greenland.  Needless  to  remark  the  attempt  was 
not  made  for  commercial  purposes. 

Dr.  Nansen  is  an  exceptionally  accomplished 
linguist,  speaking  several  languages  fluently.  English 
he  both  speaks  and  writes.  During  twenty-nine 
lectures  he  delivered  in  the  provincial  towns  of  Great 
Britain  in  the  spring  of  1892,  and  also  in  his  forty 
lectures  on  his  voyage  of  1893-96,  delivered  in  the 
months  of  February  and  March,  1897,  he  seldom 
referred  to  his  notes.  "  I  have  the  MSS.  beside  me," 
he  remarked,  "  because  delivering  the  same  lecture  so 
often  I  am  apt  to  forget  if  I  have  touched  on  all  points. 
This  would  be  the  same  if  I  lectured  in  Norwegian. 
I  really  do  not  find  it  much  more  difficult  to  lecture 
in  English  than  in  my  own  tongue."  Indeed,  he  has 
a  positive  affection  for  English  life,  which  is  fostered 
by  his  love  of  English  literature.  In  his  library  are 
the  works  of  Shakespeare,  Tennyson,  Huxley,  J.  S. 
Mill,  Herbert  Spencer,  and  Darwin ;  but  his  English 
literary  sympathies  are  by  no  means  restricted  to 
these  representatives  of  imagination  and  science,  for 


I  ^i 


40 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


I 


I    -i 


he  will  tell  you  that  he  is  a  great  admirer  of  the 
novels  of  George  Eliot  and  George  Meredith.  He 
will  end,  perhaps,  by  saying  that,  "If  I  were  not  a 
Norwegian,  I  would  be  an  Englishman  rather  than 
belong  to  any  other  nation." 

Dr.  Nansen's  visits  to  England  have  been  many,  but 
his  stay  has  always  been  of  short  duration. 

He  is,  of  course,  a  zealous  student  and  collector  of 
works  on  Arctic  exploration,  boasting,  in  fact,  that  he 
has  read  all  that  has  been  published  in  the  way  of 
first-hand  information  on  this  subject.  He  is  also  an 
artist  and  photographer  of  no  mean  order,  and  his 
collection  of  photographs  taken  in  Greenland  was  the 
subject  of  universal  admiration  during  the  lecturing 
tour  that  followed  his  Greenland  journeyings. 

After  this  it  will  not  sound  surprising  to  say  that 
"  a  man  so  various  "  is  also  a  keen  politician.  To  this 
aspect  of  his  nature  he  has  many  opponents,  the  fact 
that  his  views  are  democratic  by  no  means  diminish- 
ing their  number;  but,  whether  in  ^.  out  of  opposi- 
tion, Nansen  is  a  man  to  command  respect. 

Nansen  makes  friends  wherever  he  goes.  He  left 
many  sad  hearts  among  the  Eskimo  at  Godthaab 
when  he  departed  homeward.  In  "  The  First  Cross- 
ing of  Greenland  "  he  relates  : — 

"  The  day  before  wc.  started,  one  of  my  best  friends 
among  the  Eskimo,  in  whose  house  I  had  often  been, 
said  to  me,  *  Now  you  are  going  back  into  the  great 
world  from  which  you  came  to  us;  you  will  find  much 
that  is  new  there,  and  perhaps  you  will  soon  forget 
us.     But  we  shall  never  forget  you.' " 

Balto,  the  irrepressible  Lapp,  who  accompanied 
'Hansen  in  the  crossing  of  the  inland  ice,  writes  of  his 


FIRST  CROSSING   OF   GREENLAND. 


41 


first  meeting  with  the  doctor : — "  It  was  a  most  glori- 
ous and  wonderful  thing  to  see  this  new  master  of 
ours,  Nansen.  He  was  a  stranger,  but  his  face  shone 
in  our  eyes  like  those  of  the  parents  whom  we  had 
left  at  home,  so  lovely  did  his  face  seem  to  me,  as 
well  as  the  welcome  with  which  he  greeted  us." 

In  explaining  his  fascination  it  would  be  idle  to 
ignore  the  physical  splendour  of  the  man. 

A  gentleman  who  met  Nansen  in  1888  says  : — "  I 
had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  Dr.  Nansen  when  he 
was  stopping  in  London  as  the  guest  of  Professor 
Fowler,  Director  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History 
at  South  Kensington.  This  was  not  long  after  his 
return  from  his  walking  tour  in  Greenland.  The 
impression  he  makes  on  one  is  that  of  yo^th,  health, 
strength,  vigour,  and  enthusiasm.  A  student,  and 
devoted  to  science ;  in  physique,  he  is  best  described 
as  a  good-natured,  flaxen-haired,  blue-eyed  giant. 
The  tight-fitting  suit  of  rough  grey  cloth  he  wore  set 
off  his  noble  figure  to  advantage." 

Seven  years  later  the  same  writer  remarks : — 
"  There  could  not  in  these  modern  days  be  a  man  of 
more  pronounced  Viking  type  than  Dr.  Nansen.  His 
very  name,  Fridtjof,  conjures  up  memories  of  the  days 
when  the  Vikings  were  the  terror  of  Europe.  Who 
does  not  know  Fridtjof's  Saga^  the  great  poem  that 
has  so  often  been  translated  into  English  ?  " 

Nansen  is  thirty-six  years  of  age,  but  he  looks  older 
than  his  years,  doubtless  owing  to  the  hardships  he 
endured  in  crossing  the  ice  plateau  of  Greenland.  He 
is  over  six  feet  in  height,  and  by  constant  physical 
training  he  has  made  his  muscular  frame  one  of  the 
finest  and  most  equably  developed  that  any  man  of 


42 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


!'  ,1 


i] 


'  I-,' 


"  rs 


science  ever  possessed  ;  for  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  in  this  athlete,  whom  few  men  could  challenge 
with  success  in  his  favourite  sports,  the  habit  of 
scientific  research  is  equally  well  developed.  His 
contributions  to  zoology  and  histology  have  earned 
him  a  name,  independently  of  his  Arctic  explorations. 
He  wears  his  fair  hair  falling  straight  back  from  his 
high  forehead.  He  has  the  deep  blue  Norwegian  eye. 
His  firm  mouth  is  surmounted  by  a  small,  fair 
moustache.  He  is  so  tall  and  straight  and  well- 
made  that  people  turn  round  to  look  at  him  in  the 
street.  Quickness  and  determination  characterise  the 
man.  The  name  that  he  gave  to  his  ship,  Frann 
(forward),  is  his  own  motto.  He  made  up  his  mind 
not  to  look  backward  and  count  upon  escape.  He 
did  the  same  when  he  crossed  Greenland  in  1888-89. 
He  broke  off  all  means  of  retreat.  The  men  who 
knew  Greenland  best  said  success  was  impossible. 
He  dared  the  deed  and  accomplished  it. 

On  h's  return  from  Greenland,  Nansen  was  appoin- 
ted curator  at  Christiania  University,  which  appoint- 
ment he  held  until  he  set  off  on  his  polar  voyage. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


FRU   NANSEN. 


EVA  SARS  NANSEN  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
best  families  in  Norway,  She  is  the  youngest 
daughter  of  the  late  Professor  M.  Sars,  a 
Norwegian  naturalist  of  great  eminence,  and 
was  born  in  Christiania  in  1858.  It  would,  indeed, 
be  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  find  a  more  interesting 
and  distinguished  family  in  the  Scandinavian  penin- 
sula than  that  of  the  Sars.  Fru  Nansen's  father  was 
the  talented  author  of  "  Fauna  Littoralis  Norwegiae." 
He  devoted  much  attention  to  natural  history,  and 
was  the  discoverer  of  a  crinoid  in  the  North  Sea  be- 
longing to  a  species  that  was  supposed  to  be  extinct. 
Fru  Nan.sen's  mother,  the  best  story-teller  in 
Norway,  is  a  sister  of  the  Norwegian  poet,  Wclhavcn, 
a  contemporary  of  Vergeland.  The  Sars'  salon  is  a 
centre  of  the  intellectual  world  of  the  Norwegian 
capital,  whether  artistic,  scientific,  or  political,  remind - 

43 


44 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


injj  one  of  the  Parisian  centres  of  talent  and  wit  in 
the  days  of  Louis  Quatorze.  The  family  consists  of 
four,  two  brothers  and  two  sisters.  Ernest,  the  eldest, 
has  won  distinction  in  literature.  He  is  classed 
among  Norway's  most  celebrated  historians,  and  he 
and  the  famous  Bjornstjerne  Bjornson  are  the  chief 
Radical  leaders  in  Norway.  Ossian,  the  younger 
son,  has  trodden  in  his  father's  footsteps,  is  looked 
upon  as  an  authority  in  matters  relating  to  natural 
history,  and  is  the  present  professor  of  zoology  at  the 
University  of  Christiania.  Fru  Nansen's  sister,  like 
herself,  is  endowed  with  great  musical  taste,  and  is 
the  wife  of  the  well-known  singer  and  teacher  of 
singing,  Herr  Lammers. 

The  musical  training  of  Fru  Nansen  was  the  work 
of  Herr  Lammers  and  his  wife.  For  five  years  she 
was  an  apt  pupil,  and  when  she  went  to  Berlin  to 
continue  her  studies  her  artistic  education  was  already 
far  advanced.  For  a  whole  winter  she  studied  in  the 
German  capital  with  Madame  Artot,  and  gave  special 
attention  to  the  title-parts  in  the  operas  of  Mignon 
and  Carmen.  Yet  she  never  became  an  operatic 
singer,  as  she  was  shy  of  making  an  appearance  on 
the  stage  in  that  capacity.  On  her  return  to  Chris- 
tiania she  commenced  to  teach  singing,  and  this  useful 
employment  still  occupies  part  of  her  time. 

Her  musical  talent  is  great.  She  frequently  appears 
at  concerts,  and  her  assistance,  highly  appreciated 
and  frequently  solicited  as  it  is,  is  given  readily,  and 
with  a  winning  grace  that  enhances  the  charm  of  the 
favour.  Her  first  public  appearance  out  of  Norway 
was  in  Stockholm  in  November,  1895,  and  from  that 
day  her  success  as  a  public  singer  was  assured.     She 


FRU    NANSKN. 
The  />p-iuci/>al  Concert  Singer  in  Nonuay, 


■  t 


"    t 
i 


1 1 


i  i 


FRU   NANSEN. 


47 


felt  she  must  make  a  career  for  herself  during  the 
doctor's  absence — that  she  must  place  herself  on  an 
equal  footing  with  him — and  she  has  already  suc- 
ceeded in  her  desire.  The  tours  which  she  has 
taken  through  Sweden  and  Denmark  (1895  and 
1896)  have  been  attended  by  conspicuous  success. 
The  series  of  concerts  she  gave  in  Stockholm, 
Copenhagen,  Christiania,  Bergen,  and  other  towns  in 
the  winter  of  1895-96,  were  a  splendid  triumph. 
Her  charming  manner,  and  the  courage  evinced  at 
her  lonely  lot,  won  the  hearts  of  all,  who  felt  for  the 
woman  whose  husband  was  risking  his  life  in  the 
cause  of  science. 

In  manner  Fru  Nansen  is  more  French  than 
Scandinavian,  but  at  heart  she  is  a  thorough  Nor- 
wegian. She  sings  by  choice  the  songs  of  her  native 
country,  and  their  composers,  Jansen  and  Grieg,  are 
among  her  warmest  friends. 

Like  most  Norwegian  ladies,  Mrs.  Nansen  works 
hard.  When  not  touring  she  employs  her  leisure  in 
music.  Before  marriage.  Dr.  Nansen  and  his  fiancee 
agreed  that  the  modes  of  life  of  neither  should  be 
materially  changed  ;  that  he  should  not  abandon  his 
scheme  of  exploration,  and  that  she  should  continue 
her  teaching. 

In  one  respect  they  have  leanings  in  common. 
Mrs.  Nansen  is  not  only  a  distinguished  singer,  but 
she  is  perhaps  the  most  skilful  lady  skilober  in 
Norway.  She  has  accompanied  her  husband  in  many 
of  his  winter  runs  in  the  mountains  and  valleys  of 
their  beloved  Norway,  and  in  many  of  his  winter  and 
summer  sports. 

In  "A  Winter's  Jaunt  in  Norway,"  Mrs.  Alec  B. 


Ml, 


48 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


!!' 


It. ' 


!    { 


Tweedie  writes : — "  What  a  strange  contrast  the 
Nansens  are  !  He  is  a  great,  big,  tall,  fair  Norwegian, 
with  all  the  strength  of  the  Viking  race  in  his  manly 
bearing  and  earnest  face.  She  is  a  jolly,  bright  little 
woman,  with  dark  hair,  and  all  the  merriment  and 
warm  colouring  of  a  more  southern  people,  although 
she,  too,  is  pure  Norwegian.  She  is  able  to  accom- 
pany Nansen  on  all  his  sports.  She  is  very  fond  of 
sailing,  of  which  they  do  a  great  deal  in  the  summer, 
for  the  fjord  of  Christian ia  almost  surrounds  the 
house,  which  is  built  on  a  promontory.  In  winter 
they  ski  together,  for  Nansen  thinks  no  sport  or 
anything  else  perfect  unless  accompanied  by  his  wife. 
He  is  very  fond  of  joking  and  chaffing  her  too,  and 
when  speaking  about  a  visit  we  contemplated  up 
Nora  Fjeld,  on  ski,  a  mountain  about  five  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  lying  between  Christiania  and 
Bergen,  he  said,  '  My  wife  knows  Nora  Fjeld  well, 
because  there  it  was  that  I  saw  her  dead-beat  for  the 
first  and  only  time.' " 

It  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  Mrs.  Nansen  should 
have  sought  to  accompany  her  husband  in  his  great 
polar  expedition.  The  perils  of  the  Arctic  regions 
had  no  terrors  for  her,  and  up  to  the  time  of  the 
launching  of  the  Fram,  Dr.  Nansen's  polar  vessel,  it 
was  actually  the  intention  of  the  explorer  to  allow  his 
wife  to  form  one  of  the  party.  At  the  last  moment, 
however,  he  was  petitioned  by  Captain  Sverdrup  not 
to  do  so.  The  other  members  of  the  crew,  although 
having  every  belief  in  Fru  Eva's  ability  to  withstand 
the  voyage,  joined  Sverdrup  in  his  petition,  and 
accordingly  Dr.  Nansen  deemed  it  prudent  to  leave 
his  wife  behind.     He  was  guided  in  his  decision  by 


FRU    NANSEN. 


49 


by 


the  possibilities  of  a  nip  in  the  ice,  followed  by  a  long 
sledge  journey,  and  by  the  consideration  that  a 
woman,  however  courageous,  could  not  but  retard 
the  progress  of  the  whole  party.  Eventually  Fru 
Nansen,  too,  became  reconciled,  and  recognised  that 
"  home  "  was  woman's  first  concern. 

The  position  of  Fru  Nansen  during  the  doctor's 
absence  was  not  an  enviable  one.  Month  after 
month,  year  after  year  passed  without  certain 
information.  Rumour  after  rumour  came  to  hand. 
One  felt  keenly  for  her  during  March,  1896,  when 
every  mail  from  the  northern  frontier  of  Russia 
might  have  brought  accurate  tidings  of  good  or 
evil.  But  she  worked  hard  for  herself  and  her 
husband,  her  correspondence  alone  being  a  labour 
of  great  magnitude.  She  has  a  staunch  heart ;  and 
this,  coupled  with  an  inherent  hatred  of  idleness, 
will  stand  her  in  good  stead  when  the  time  agam 
arrives  for  her  spirit  to  be  put  to  the  test. 

She  has  the  courage  that  does  not  fly  at  an  idle 
rumour,  and  which  enables  her  to  reason  even  against 
hope.  That,  at  least,  we  glean  from  the  jottings  of 
an  irrepressible  interviewer,  whose  article  in  the 
Lokaianzeiger  is  quoted  in  the  Daily  News.  He 
says : — 

"  I  asked  Madame  Nansen  what  impression  the 
news  received  had  made  on  her — the  rumour  of 
Nansen's  successful  return  in  March,  1896 — whether 
she  was  overcome  with  astonishment,  hope,  or  joy. 
•  No,  not  at  all,'  was  the  answer,  *  for  I  did  not 
believe  it.  I  regarded  it  as  a  canard,  and  it  left  me 
perfectly  composed  and  cool.'  *  Do  you  not  believe 
in  your  husband's  success,  then  ? '     '  Oh,  I   am  per- 


50 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


1^ 


II 


fectly  convinced  that  he  will  reach  his  goal  and  come 
back,  but  that  it  would  take  place  so  quickly,  so 
easily,  and  so  smoothly,  this  I  did  not  believe.'  '  It 
would  be  most  interesting  to  hear  your  precise 
opinion,'  I  said.  *  I  am  stormed  with  telegrams  and 
letters,  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  understand  nothing 
about   these    difficult   questions.     I    leave   it   to   the 


"my  comfort  asu  my  joy." 

geographers  and  men  of  science,  and  I  don't  like 
speaking  about  it.  Only  this  much  I  can  tell  you. 
I  believe  in  my  husband's  return,  but  not  now.  It  is 
too  soon.  Besides,  the  statements  are  so  vague. 
There  is  nothing  positive  and  decided  in  them. 
They  are  all  unauthentic  reports.  How  could  I 
place  any  hopes  in  them  ? '     Mrs.  Nansen  said  this 


¥IW    NANSEN. 


51 


in  the  most  decided  tone,  and  in  her  beautiful  eyes 
there  sparkled  such  confidence  that  I  can  quite 
understand  this  woman  waiting  for  years  without 
losing  hope  and  faith.  I  speak  of  the  admiration 
which  the  whole  civilised  world  shows  for  her  hus- 
band. *  Yes,  I  know  that  great  sympathy  is  felt  for 
him/  she  answers,  *  and  this  makes  me  strong.  It  is 
my  comfort,  my  greatest  joy.'  We  are  sitting  at  the 
window,  from  which  one  has  a  magnificent  view  of 
the  lake,  the  fir  woods,  and  the  high  mountains  which 
appear  in  the  distance  in  a  blue  haze.  I  speak  of  the 
exquisite  scenery.  '  It  is  now  rather  monotonous,' 
she  answers  in  a  sad  voice,  looking  across  the  ice- 
bound fjord  ;  *  but  in  summer,  when  the  lake  is  open, 
you  should  see  it  then ! '  At  this  moment  a  lovely 
little  girl,  of  some  five  or  six  summers,  enters  the 
room — Nansen's  only  daughter,  Liv  (life) — and  looks 
at  me  rather  suspiciously  for  keeping  her  dinner 
waiting.  Her  mother  draws  her  to  her,  and  strokes 
her  golden  curls.  '  This  is  also  my  comfort  and  my 
joy  during  the  long  absence  of  my  husband,'  said 
Madame  Nansen,  her  eyes  beaming  with  love  and 
pride." 


nansen's  home  at  lysaker. 


CHAPTER  V. 
nansen's  home. 


i  ! 


IN  1893,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  an  invita- 
tion to  visit  Mrs.  Nansen  at  Lysaker.      It   is 
situated   on  Christiania  Fjord.     Here  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Nansen  have  been  visited  by  many  Arctic 
enthusiasts  from  all  parts  of  Europe.     The  courtesy 
of  Mrs.  Nansen  is  proverbial.     My  own  experience 
of  it  grew  out  of  our  kindred  interests. 

Our  way  to  the  house  lay  through  beautiful 
meadows  and  an  odorous  pine  wood.  The  day  was 
perfect.  As  we  lingered  on  the  way,  and  wandered 
from  the  path  in  wood  and  meadow,  we  wondered 
at  the  doctor's  leaving  such  a  scene  as  this  to 
court  unknown  dangers.  After  practising  our 
amateur  Norsk  on  the  wayfarers,  Godthaab  Villa 
was  pointed  out  to  us. 
52 


k'' 


NANSEN  S   HOME. 


53 


Our  view  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  loveliness 
of  its  situation.  The  house  is  situated  at  the  foot 
of  a  hill,  uniquely  set  in  the  midst  of  a  wood,  and 
the  promontory  upon  which  it  stands  juts  boldly  out 
into  the  fjord.  The  selection  of  the  site  was  made 
by  the  doctor,  who  had  a  picturesque  log-hut  built, 
and  named  it  Godthaab  Villa,  to  express  his 
gratitude  for  finding  a  haven  of  rest  on  the  west 
coast  after  his  perilous  journey  across  Greenland. 
It  was  constructed  after  the  old  Norwegian  style  of 
brown  pine  wood  in  trunks,  and  both  the  house  and 
furniture  are  carved  in  characteristic  old  dragons  and 
serpents'  heads. 

Fru  Nansen  received  "s  most  graciously,  her 
smiling  face  immediately  dispelling  any  feeling  of 
strangeness.  Apologising  for  her  bad  English 
(quite  unnecessarily,  as  we  subsequently  discovered), 
she  led  the  way  to  the  drawing-room,  a  most  original 
and  artistic  apartment,  filled  with  exquisite  art 
beauties  and  curiosities  from  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  whole  house,  indeed,  is  full  of  trophies  and  relics 
from  Nansen's  Greenland  and  other  expeditions. 
From  the  window  of  this  room  we  had  a  magnifi- 
cent view  down  the  fjord  and  right  out  to  the  sea. 
It  was  a  splendid  day,  and  our  hostess  remarked  that 
she  had  seldom  seen  the  view  to  better  advantage. 

Cros.sing  the  drawing-room  and  passing  along  an 
alcove,  we  were  ushered  into  Dr.  Nansen's  room. 
His  study  is  a  charming  spot,  and  at  once  affords  an 
index  to  his  tastes.  It  is  furnished  in  thorough  old 
Norwegian  style  down  to  the  very  chairs  and 
hangings.  The  arms  of  the  carved  wooden  chairs 
are   formed    by  the   old   Norse   serpent   twist       It 


54 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


would  be  difficult  in  all  Norway  to  find  a  more 
typically  Norwegian  room.  His  beloved  books  were 
still  on  the  shelves  —sacred  to  his  own  use.  There 
arc  relics  from  barbarous  and  semi-barbarous 
countries  oii  walls  and  floor. 

One's  interest  centred  in  the  polar  bear  skins, 
victims  of  Nansen's  gun  when  in  the  east  Greenland 
seas,  and  in  the  grand  piano  standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  apartment,  on  which  Fru  Nansen  played  to 
her  husband  in  the  few  hours  that  he  devoted  to 
recreation.  Perhaps  the  most  surprising  thing  was 
the  enormous  table,  which  was  in  harmony  with  the 
large  proporiiuus  of  the  study.  This  article,  vvhich 
was  made  to  the  order  of  the  explorer,  resembles 
a  huge  bench,  except  that  its  legs  and  sides  are 
curiously  ornamented.  The  doctor  when  at  home 
requires  it  all  for  his  papers.  He  is  very  systematic 
— a  desirable  trait  in  the  character  of  the  leader 
of  an  Arctic  expedition — and  confusion  is  altogether 
absent  from  his  study. 

In  one  corner  of  the  room  was  a  quaint  three- 
cornered  fireplace,  quite  in  keeping  with  the  walls 
and  furniture.  As  is  the  custom  in  Norway,  the 
Nansens  use  wood  rs  fuel,  coal  being  accounted  a 
luxury.  Several  oil  paintings  from  the  brushes  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Nansen  adorn  the  walls,  and  the 
original  drawings  and  engravings  used  in  "  The  First 
Crossing  of  Greenland  "  have  a  prominent  place. 

In  the  alcove  adjoining  the  drawing-room  we  saw 
a  fine  life-size  crayon  portrait  of  Dr.  Nansen,  just 
completed  by  a  leading  Norwegian  artist. 

We  soon  learned  that  it  did  not  depress  Fru 
Nansen  in  the  slightest  degree  to  talk  of  her  absent 


e 

n: 
> 


> 


(A 


II 


I  :  i- 


NANSEN  S   HOME. 


57 


husband.  She  pointed  out  to  us  the  place  where  she 
had  last  seen  him,  and  showed  us  two  instantaneous 
photographs  taken  at  the  time  of  his  departure,  the 
first  depicting  Dr.  Nansen  gazing  through  a  pair 
of  glasses  at  his  wife  from  the  bridge  of  the  Fram 
as  the  vessel  steamed  slowly  down  the  fjord  on 
its  way  to  the  sea ;  the  second  showing  him  in  the 
act  of  waving  his  hat  to  her  in  a  last  farewell. 
These,  as  may  be  imagined,  were  so  precious  to  her 
that  she  would  not  on  any  account  allow  them  to 
leave  her  possession. 

Dr.  Nansen  for  his  part  had  a  souvenir  of  a  most 
enjoyable  kind,  in  the  shape  of  phonograms  of  several 
songs  sung  by  his  wife,  and  the  childish  prattle  of 
his  fair-haired  child.  These  sounds,  the  offerings  of 
science  to  a  scientific  mind,  would  be  a  solace  to  him 
in  his  dreary  exile,  reminding  him  of  the  loved  ones 
whom  he  had  left. 

"  How  long,"  we  asked,  "do  you  think  your  husband 
will  be  away  ? " 

"  Captain  Sverdrup  says  two  and  a-quarter  years  if 
good  fortune  attends  him.  They  are  provisioned  for 
six.  .  .  .  You  should  have  seen  the  ship's  deck,"  she 
resumed  ;  "  it  was  covered  with  provisions." 

"  It  will  be  seen  from  the  photograph,"  Fru  Nansen 
resumed,  "  how  well  they  arc  stocked  with  provisions. 
If  the  crew  can  only  stick  to  the  ship  as  she  drifts 
with  the  ice  or  current,  they  need  have  no  fear  of 
starvation  for  five  or  six  years  to  come." 

We  asked,  **  Where  will  the  doctor  write  you  from  ? " 

Fru  Nansen  replied,  "  From  the  New  Siberian 
Islands,  if  he  touches  there.  I  am  not  sure,  however, 
that  they  will  obtain  and  forward  his  letter." 


58 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


Then  she  resumed,  "  Not  for  a  moment  do  I  doubt 
his  return.  Why,  if  I  had  not  indeed  the  greatest 
confidence  in  his  success  I  should  never  have  been 
foolish  enou<;h  to  let  him  go.  The  Fram  may  be 
crushed,  but  they  have  special  boats  in  case  of  that 
disaster.  If  they,  too,  are  lost,  then  they  have  their 
lighter  boats  and  strong,  portable  silk  tents  and 
sleeping-bags  to  place  on  the  ice,  in  which  to  live  as 
they  drift  on  or  travel  over  the  ice  on  their  ski,  for 


^cu  ^  Vi?, 


^^^****    .z-o**^   (k^^ad  .eZ^^^A  At 

o^c^  a-u*^ ^^^J  ^aJU '^ 


7' 


^^TuU 


?' 


S^yaJ^.  Su*  Z2  ^J^ 


KRII    NANSF.n's   acknowledgment   of   "LONDON   STREET   ARABS." 

(as  in  the  crossing  of  Greenland)  these  will  form 
a  special  feature  of  locomotion  should  the  ship  be 
deserted." 

We  then  dwelt  upon  his  triumphant  return,  and 
she  seemed  pleased  indeed  when  we  compared  it  to 
the  return  of  Stanley  after  the  finding  of  Emin  Pasha. 
We  spoke  of  the  kindly  interest  that  the  people  of 
Great  Britain  were  taking  in  the  expedition,  and  of 


NANSEN'S   HOME. 


59 


the  rush  there  would  be  for  copies  of  his  promised 
book. 

Then,  after  a  pause,  she  proceeded,  *'  I  love  your 
England.  I  was  there  for  a  few  weeks  on  my 
wedding  tour,  and  I  should  like  to  go  again  to  learn 
the  language  perfectly." 

We  informed  her  of  Mrs.  Stanley's  artistic  talent, 
and  she  was  greatly  pleased  by  a  description  of  that 
lady's  work.  Such  interest  did  she  manifest,  that  on 
reaching  England  we  sent  to  her  Mrs.  Stanley's 
book,  "  London  Street  Arabs,"  which  contains  a 
collection  of  pictures  from  original  drawings  by  the 
author,  and  in  reply,  Fru  Nansen  expressed  her 
delight  on  receiving  that  "  most  charming  book." 

For  a  time  Fru  Nansen  took  up  painting,  and 
studied  under  the  well-known  artists,  Bergslien  and 
Eilif  Peterssen.  "  But,"  she  remarked,  "  I  did  not 
continue  my  lessons,  for  I  felt  I  would  never  make  a 
great  painter." 

Perhaps  the  most  animated  portion  of  our  conversa- 
tion was  on  the  subject  of  langua<-  "is.  We  remarked 
that  Norsk  was  readily  learned,  and  P>u  Nansen 
rejoined,  "  I  find  German  the  easiest  to  learn,  and 
English  next,  but  French  !— oh  !  it  is  so  very  difficult 
to  me." 

P'ru  Nansen  is  a  fit  companion,  mentally  and 
physically,  for  the  Viking  who  went  to  seek  fame 
in  the  chill  North. 

We  left  Godthaab  Villa,  its  hostess  and  child,  with 
regret,  and  thought  of  the  long,  dreary,  anxious  days 
of  suspense  before  Mrs.  Nansen,  and  of  the  inexpres- 
sible, intoxicating  joy  of  the  moment  when  the  news 
reaches  her  of  her  husband's  safe  rctura 


NANSEN  S    LARGE    UOAT. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


now  TO  CROSS  THE   NORTH   POLAR   REGION. 


THIS  was  the  question  that  Dr.  Nansen  discussed 
before  an  over-crowded  meeting  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  English  Royal  Geographical  Society 
in    London,   on   the   evening   of  the    14th   of 
November,  1892. 

In  his  speech  he  first  dealt  with  the  scientific  value 
of  Arctic  and  Antarctic  exploration,  and,  after  touch- 
ing on  past  expeditions  to  the  Arctics,  he  asked : — 
"  Why  have  all  previous  attempts  failed  ?  " 

"  The  reason  is  simple  enough,"  he  replied  ;  "  the 
expeditions  were  everywhere,  at  a  greater  or  less 
distance  from  the  Pole,  stopped  by  drifting  floe-ice 
which  formed  immense  impenetrable  masses,  and  in 
most  cases  was  carried  down  against  the  ships  by 
currents  from  the  north.  It  was  impossible  to  pene- 
trate the  ice,  and  to  walk  over  it  was  almost  equally 
impossible,  since  it  is  moved  by  constant  currents 
from  the  north  ;  there  was  no  choice  left  but  to 
60 


HOW   TO  CROSS  THE   NORTH   POLAR    REGION.      6l 


return.  If  we  could  only  discover  a  land  stretching 
to  the  Pole  the  chances  would  be  favourable  enough. 
The  difficulties  of  reaching  it  would  not  then  be  much 
greater  than  those  of  crossing  Greenland.  But  we 
know  of  no  country  which  is  likely  to  have  such  an 
extension  to  the  north.  Greenland  seems  to  end  not 
very  far  north  of  the  latitude  already  reached,  and 
Franz  Josef  Land  is  probably  only  a  group  of  islands. 

"  Many  people  think  that  the  North  Pole  can  be 
reached  by  balloons  or  balloon  ships,  and  that  it  will 
be  so  reached  one  day.  I  do  not  deny  the  possibility 
of  this  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  regard  it  as  very  probable. 
But  the  only  way  at  present  would  be  to  entrust  one's- 
self  wholly  to  the  wind,  and  this  is  an  uncertain  way 
so  long  as  we  have  no  knowledge  of  the  wind-currents 
of  these  regions.  To  go  in  a  submarine  boat  under 
the  ice  would  be  rather  risky  so  long  as  submarine 
navigation  is  as  little  developed  as  it  is  at  present. 

"  But  is  there  no  other  way  tt  >  reach  the  North 
Pole? 

"  I  believe  that  if  we  take  careful  notice  of  the  forces 
which  nature  herself  places  at  our  disposal,  and 
endeavour  to  work  with  them,  and  not  against  them, 
we  shall  find,  if  not  the  shortest,  at  all  events  the  most 
certain  route.  We  have  already  seen  that  most  polar 
expeditions  have  been  stopped  by  irresistible  currents 
from  the  unknown  north,  carrying  immense  masses  of 
thick  floe-ice.  From  this  fact  we  seem  entitled  to 
draw  a  very  simple  conclusion,  namely,  that  if  cur- 
rents run  from  these  regions,  currents  must  also  some- 
where run  into  them,  and  that  if  expeditions  have 
been  carried  by  the  ice  southward  from  the  unknown 
regions,  others  may  be  floated  northward  into  these 


62 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


regions  if  they  can  only  strike  the  currents  on  the 
right  side.  Thus,  then,  we  have  the  way  already 
indicated  ;  the  problem  is  to  find  the  right  place. 

"  If  we  consider  the  experience  of  whalers  and 
sealers  who  have  sailed  for  a  long  series  of  years 
in  the  Arctic  seas  on  both  sides  of  the  Pole,  one 
singular  circumstance  must  strike  us  at  once,  namely, 
that  ships  caught  in  the  ice  on  this  side  of  the  Pole, 
near  the  Greenland  Sea,  are  carried  southward,  and 
that  the  crews  run,  as  a  rule,  no  great  risk.  Not  so 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Pole,  north  of  Behring  Strait; 
ships  caught  in  the  ice  there  drift  northward  and  often 
disappear,  some  with  few  and  others  with  many  men 
on  board  ;  most  of  them  probably  are  destroyed  in 
high  unknown  latitudes.  These  ^cts  must  lead  the 
thoughtful  observer  to  the  cone  3n  that  there  are 
differences  in  the  sea  currents  which  may  be  utilised 
in  favour  of  a  polar  expedition.  Let  us,  therefore, 
examine  the  question  more  closely. 

*'  The  most  important  polar  current  is,  without 
doubt,  that  which  runs  southward  along  the  east 
coast  of  Greenland.  This  has  a  considerable  speed, 
and  carries  an  immense  quantity  of  water  out  from 
the  polar  basin.  It  fills  the  whole  opening  between 
Greenland  and  Spitzbergen,  with  the  exception  of  a 
narrow  belt  along  the  coast  of  the  latter,  and  it  runs 
over  the  deepest  known  bottom  in  the  Arctic  regions ; 
there  arc  ascertained  depths  of  2600  fathoms.  The 
depth  of  the  actual  current  itself  cannot,  however,  be 
so  much.  I  do  not  think  that  we  arc  entitled  to 
assume  that  there  is  any  current  of  importance  deeper 
than  300  fathoms  ;  and  in  order  to  be  within  the 
mark,  let  us  say  only  200  fathoms.      It   might   be 


HOW   TO  CROSS  THE  NORTH    POLAR   REGION.      63 

expected  that  under  this  polar  current  another  cur- 
rent was  running  northward.  From  what  we  know 
of  the  water,  we  seem,  however,  to  be  fully  entitled  to 
say  such  cannot  be  the  case.  On  the  contrary,  water 
at  a  much  greater  depth  probably  comes  from  the 
unknown  north.  The  breadth  of  the  polar  current  on 
the  surface  is  250  nautical  miles,  and  at  the  depth 
mentioned  it  seems  to  be  about  170  nautical  miles. 
To  calculate  the  average  speed  of  the  current  is  very 
difficult ;  it  probably  runs  more  rapidly  at  the  surface 
than  in  its  deeper  parts,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
speed  is  nowhere  constant  during  the  whole  year. 
Sometimes,  especially  in  the  summer  months,  it  is 
very  rapid,  but  at  other  times  it  seems  to  have  a 
much  slower  course.  Taking  everything  into  con- 
sideration, I  do  not  think  we  are  entitled  to  estimate 
the  average  speed  of  the  whole  current  for  the  year 
at  more  than  two  nautical  miles  a-day.  By  this  cal- 
culation we  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the  polar 
current  between  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen  carries 
southward  betiveen  80  and  120  cubic  miles  of  water 
every  twenty-four  hours. 

"  Whence  is  all  this  water  derived  ?  It  cannot 
originate  at  the  Pole  itself;  the  place  of  the  water 
that  flows  out  from  the  pol  *•  basin  must  be  supplied 
by  water  running  in.  It  iS  also  evident  that  the 
influence  of  a  current  so  considerable  as  this  cannot 
be  limited  to  a  small  area  ;  it  must  affect  the  polar 
basin  like  an  immense  pump,  sucking  the  water  even 
from  the  shores  of  Siberia  and  Bchring  Strait.  This 
is  the  more  certain  as  the  polar  basin  is  found  to  be 
unusually  shallow  wherever  it  has  been  sounded. 
There  are  only  a  few  currents  known  which  run  into 


1 


64 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


the  polar  basin.  A  small  branch  of  the  Gulf  Stream 
is  known  to  run  northward  along  the  west  coast  of 
Spitzbergen.  This  current  is,  however,  too  insignifi- 
cant to  be  of  much  value  in  this  connection  ;  to  some 
extent  it  certainly  also  rounds  the  north  coast  of 
Spitzbergen,  and  returns  southward  again  towards  its 
eastern  coast.  The  main  body  of  the  Norwegian 
Gulf  Stream  passes  eastward  to  the  north  of  Norway, 
and  enters  the  polar  basin  north  of  Novaya  Zemlya. 
This  current  is  considerable ;  our  knowledge  of  it  is, 
however,  not  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  form  any 
certain  idea  about  the  quantity  of  water  which  it 
carries  along;  but  according  to  the  calculation  of 
Professor  H.  Mohn,  in  his  important  memoir  on  the 
Northern  Ocean,  and  according  to  information  from 
the  sealers,  I  think  we  may  assume  that  it  carries  at 
least  60  to  70  cubic  miles  of  water  every  twenty-four 
hours  into  the  polar  basin.  A  third  current  running 
into  the  polar  sea  is  that  which  runs  northward 
through  Behring  Strait.  This  cannot  be  of  great 
importance,  as  the  Strait  is  so  narrow  and  shallow ; 
but  from  the  latest  descriptions  of  the  current  we  are 
perhaps  entitled  to  assume  that  at  least  10  or  14  cubic 
miles  of  water  are  here  running  northward  daily. 

"  The  currents  certainly  furnish  the  most  important 
supplies  of  water  to  the  polar  current  along  the  east 
coast  of  Greenland.  Another  addition  comes  from 
the  American,  and  especially  from  the  Siberian  rivers 
that  run  into  the  polar  sea.  The  drainage  area  of  all 
these  rivers  is  very  considerable,  embracing  nearly  the 
whole  of  Northern  Asia,  or  Siberia,  besides  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  Alaska  and  British  North  America. 
The  rain  and  snow  of  this  region  are  not,  however, 


HOW   TO  CROSS   THE   NORTH    POLAR    REGION.      65 


very  considerable  ;  and  the  whole  quantity  of  moisture 
falling  over  Siberia  I  have  calculated  to  be  no  more 
than  about  626  cubic  miles  in  one  year,  if  the  Russian 
meteorological  data  on  Siberia  are  correct.  On 
account  of  evaporation  we  cannot  assume  that  more 
than  a  certain  part  of  this  water  reaches  the  polar 
sea ;  perhaps  not  more  that  one  cubic  mile  daily 
during  the  year.  This  is  not  much,  compared  with 
the  size  of  the  ocean  currents ;  but  this  addition  is  of 
special  importance,  as  it  consists  of  fresh  and  com- 
paratively warm  water,  which  principally  runs  out 
into  the  basin  during  the  summer,  and  which  for  a 
very  long  time  keeps  at  the  surface  of  the  sea  on 
account  of  its  lightness,  and  thus  produces  surface 
currents  running  northwards  from  the  Siberian  coast. 
This  is  also  the  reason  why  there  is  so  much  open 
water  along  this  coast  every  summer.  To  this  stream 
of  fresh  water  the  evaporation  from  the  melting  of 
ice  in  the  polar  sea  contributes  very  little.  The 
moisture  of  the  air  over  the  area  draining  into  the 
polar  sea  must  consequently  originate  mainly  in  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  This  constant  addition 
of  fresh  water  must  evidently  be  the  principal  reason 
why  the  water  of  the  polar  current  between  Green- 
land and  Spitzhcrgen  contains  somewhat  less  salt, 
even  at  considerable  depths,  than  the  water  of  the 
North  Atlantic  seas. 

"  We  thus  see  that  the  polar  basin  is  daily  receiving 
a  large  inflow  of  water.  As  little  evaporation  takes 
place  from  its  ice-covered  surface,  there  must  neces- 
sarily be  a  corresponding  outflow,  and  the  most 
natural  outlet  is  the  broad  and  deep  opening  between 
Spitzbergen  and  Greenland.     According  to  what  has 

£ 


66 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


1: 


i<  > 


already  been  said,  the  water  running  out  here  seems 
very  nearly  to  correspond  in  (juantity  to  the  inflow 
mentioned. 

"  Currents  also  run  southv/ard  through  Smith 
Sound,  Jones  Sound,  and  Larcaster  Sound,  in  the 
Arctic  Archipelago  of  North  America ;  but  as  these 
sounds  are  very  narrow  and  shallow,  the  body  of 
water  which  their  currents  carry  off  is  of  little  import- 
ance in  this  respect.  The  current  running  southward 
between  Spitzbergen  and  Franz  Josef  Land  is  also 
insignificant  when  compared  to  the  east  Greenland 
current.  By  considering  the  contributions  of  water 
already  referred  to  which  this  last  current  probably 
receives,  it  may  be  possible  to  form  some  idea  of  the 
approximate  course  of  this  current  through  the 
unknown  regions.  The  waters  of  the  North  American 
rivers  form,  very  likely,  a  portion  of  the  currents 
through  the  Arctic  Archipelago  of  l\orth  America; 
a  small  part  of  the  current  through  Behring  Strait, 
perhaps,  runs  also  in  this  direction.  We  have  left 
then,  for  the  formation  of  the  east  Greenland  polar 
current,  the  Novaya  Zemlya  current,  the  Siberian 
rivers,  a  part  of  the  current  through  Behring  Strait, 
and  the  moisture  falling  over  the  polar  basin. 

"  It  seems  quite  natural  that  these  sources  should 
converge,  and  to  some  extent  unite  to  form  the 
Greenland  current.  We  must  expect,  therefore,  to 
find  the  main  body  of  the  current  which  is  formed 
in  this  way  lying  somewhere  to  the  north  of  the 
middle  of  that  extended  area  from  which  it  receives 
its  converging  sources,  and  this  place  must  conse- 
quently be  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
New  Siberian  Islands.     Here  we  also  have  the  mouth 


HOW  TO   CROSS   THE   NORTH    POLAR    REGION.      ^J 

of  the  Lena  River,  which  carries  a  considerable  body 
of  comparatively  warm  water  northward  into  the 
polar  sea.  I'rom  this  region  the  current  must  natur- 
ally run  in  a  northerly  direction  by  the  shortest  route 
to  the  outlet  between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  and 
this  must  be  to  the  north  of  Franz  Josef  Land,  and 
near  to  or  across  the  North  Pole.  But  the  direction 
of  the  current  may  perhaps,  to  some  extent,  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  winds.  Unfortunately,  we  do  not 
know  much  of  these  in  the  Arctic  regions  ;  from  the 
little  we  know  it  would  appear,  however,  that  the 
winds  should  be  favourable  for  such  a  current,  and 
that  their  average  direction  during  the  year  is  very 
nearly  the  same  as  that  which  we  have  assumed  for 
the  latter.  This  we  can  also  conclude  from  the 
observations  made  during  the  drift  oi  i\\Q  Jeatinette. 

"  I  have  tried  to  convince  you  that  from  what  we 
know  about  the  ocean  currents  and  the  winds  along 
the  *  threshold  of  the  unknown  regions,'  we  are 
entitled,  in  fact  are  obliged,  to  assume  that  these 
regions  are  traversed  by  an  ocean  current.  But  is 
there  no  direct  evidence  of  the  existence  of  such  a 
current?     I  think  there  is."* 

Dr.  Nansen  here  laid  down  the  following  facts  as 
supporting  his  theory  : — 

(i.)  The  course  taken  by  the  American  vessel 
Jeanncttc,  which  was  caught  in  the  ice  to  the 
east  of  Herald  Lsland  (north  of  Behring  Strait) 
on  the  6th  of  September,  1879,  a"<^  drifted  to 
the  north-west  until  she  was  crushed  on  the 


*  Extracted  by  gracious  permission  of  the   Royal  Geogra- 
phical Society. 


68 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


13th  of  June,  1 88 1,  north  of  the  New  Siberian 
Islands,  where  she  sank. 

(2.)  The  finding  on  an  ice-floe  iicar  Julianehaab, 
on  the  south-west  coast  of  Greenland,  just 
three  years  after  the  Jeannette  had  sunk,  of  a 
number  of  objects  belonging  to  her  or  her 
crew. 

(3.)  The  finding  of  a  "  throwing-stick  "  or  "  harpoon- 
thrower"  of  a  peculiar  shape  (a  handle  used 
by  the  Eskimo  for  throwing  darts),  on  the 
west  coast  of  Greenland,  near  Godthaab, 
which  must  have  drifted  from  the  west  coast 
of  Alaska,  the  only  place  where  throwing- 
sticks  of  a  similar  kind  occur  ;  also  the  amount 
of  Siberian  driftwood  which  every  year  reaches 
the  coasts  of  Greenland. 

(4.)  The  thickness  of  the  ice  carried  southward 
along  the  east  coast  of  Greenland. 

(5.)  The  samples  of  mud  and  dust  taken  from 
ice-floes  between  Iceland  and  Greenland,  on 
being  microscopically  examined,  lead  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  are  partly  mud  carried 
into  the  sea  by  the  great  Siberian  rivers. 
The  diatom  flora  of  some  samples  showed  the 
presence  of  species  only  to  be  found  at  Cape 
Wankarema,  near  Behring  Strait. 

(6.)  By  examination  of  a  great  many  specimens 
of  pumice  found  on  the  shores  of  Norway, 
Spitzbergen,  and  Greenland,  Backstrom,  a 
Swedish  geologist,  comes  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  consist  of  the  group  of  minerals 
called  Andesites,  and  must  have  been  carried 
southward  by  the  polar  current,  having  most 


HOW  TO  CROSS  THE   NORTH   POLAR    REGION.      69 


probably  originated  from  unknown  volcauues 
in  the  polar  regions,  or  from  the  great  Andesitic 
volcanic  regions  near  the  Behring  Sea. 

"  From  all  these  facts,"  continued  Dr.  Nansen,  '*  we 
.seem  fully  entitled  to  draw  the  conclusion  that  a 
current  is  constantly  running  across  the  polar  region 
to  the  north  of  Franz  Josef  Land,  from  the  sea 
north  of  Siberia  and  Behring  Strait,  and  into  the 
sea  between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  and  as  we 
have  seen,  the  floe-ice  is  constantly  travelling  with 
this  current  in  a  fixed  route  between  these  seas. 
Since  such  is  the  case,  the  most  natural  way  of 
crossing  the  unknown  region  must  be  to  take  a 
ticket  with  this  ice,  and  enter  the  current  on  the  side 
where  it  runs  northward — that  is,  somewhere  near 
the  New  Siberian  Islp.ids — and  let  it  carry  one 
straight  across  those  latitudes  which  it  has  prevented 
so  many  from  reaching. 

"  There  are  two  methods  of  trying  to  attain  the 
result  I  long  for.  First,  to  build  a  strong  ship,  so 
constructed  that  it  can  withstand  the  pressure  of  the 
ice,  and,  living  in  this  ship,  to  float  across  with  the 
ice ;  or,  second,  to  take  only  boats  along,  encamp  on 
an  ice-floe,  and  live  there  while  floating  across.  My 
plan  is  based  on  the  use  of  both  these  methods.  .  .  . 

"Our  first  goal  will  f>e  the  New  Siberian  Islands 
or  the  mouth  of  the  Lena  River.  I  have  been 
uncertain  whether  I  will  go  through  the  Kara  Sea, 
or  will  prefer  the  route  from  the  side  of  Behring 
Strait ;  but  think  now  that  I  shall  take  the  former. 
When  we  have  reached  the  sea  north  of  the  Lena 
Delta  we  shall  have  to  wait  for  the  right  moment 
to   go   northward   along   the  western  coasts   of  the 


70 


FRIDTJOK    NANSEN. 


New  Siberian  Islands,  and  try  to  reach  the  farthest 
possible  point  north  in  open  water.  This  will 
probably  be  in  Aui^ust  or  the  first  days  of  Sep- 
tember, 1893.  The  current  caused  by  the  warm 
water  from  the  Lena  River  will  certainly  be  a  great 
help  to  us,  as  it  seems  to  be  of  great  influence  during 
the  summer,  producing  an  extensive  open  sea,  in 
which  one  of  the  boats  from  the  Jeamiette  was  even 
wrecked.  To  be  able  to  navigate  the  ship  properly 
through  the  ice  I  thought  of  using  captive  balloons. 
By  help  of  these  we  could  easily  in  clear  weather  get 
a  splendid  view  over  the  surroundings,  and  see  where 
there  is  ice,  and  in  what  direction  there  is  open 
water ;  we  could  then  in  a  moment  see  what  direction 
to  take  as  clearly  as  if  we  had  it  traced  on  a  chart, 
and  should  lose  no  time  by  tryinp^  in  a  wrong 
direction.  The  great  difficulty  is  that  there  is  very 
much  fog  in  this  region  just  on  account  of  the  warm 
Lena  water  ;  but  a  good  clear  day  with  balloon  work 
would  then  be  the  more  valuable,  and  would  make  up 
for  a  great  many  others  with  fog.  A  still  greater 
difficulty  is,  however,  that  the  balloon  equipment, 
especially  the  steel  cylinders  with  the  compressed 
hydrogen,  are  so  heavy  that  I  fear  it  would  be 
too  difficult  to  carry  them  in  our  small  ship,  and 
as  they  are  also  very-  expensive,  I  fear  I  shall  have 
to  give  them  up. 

'•  When  we  can  get  no  farther  we  shall  have  nothing 
left  but  to  run  into  the  ice  at  the  most  favourable 
spot,  and  from  there  trust  entncly  to  the  current 
running  across  the  polar  region.  The  ice  will  perhaps 
soon  begin  to  press,  but  it  will  only  lift  our  strong 
ship.     While  drifting  we  sha''  have  plenty  of  time  and 


now   TO   CROSS   THE   NORTH    I'OLAR    RlXilON.      7 1 


excellent  opportunity  to  make  scientific  observations. 
Probably  we  shall  in  this  way,  in  the  course  of  some 
years,  be  carried  near  the  Pole,  or  across  it,  and  into 
the  sea  between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  where 
we  shall  get  into  open  water  again,  and  be  able  to 
return  home. 

"  There  is,  however,  a  possibility  that  the  ship,  in 
spite  of  all  precautions,  may  be  crushed  in  the  ice ; 
but  if  *^  s  happens  the  expedition  will  have  another 
resource.  It  will  now  be  time  to  use  the  ice  as 
quarters  instead  of  the  ship,  and  we  shall  have  to 
remove  Al  our  provisions,  coal,  boats,  etc.,  to  an  ice- 
floe, and  camp  there.  Besides  the  light,  ordinary 
boats,  I  have  built  two  big  boats  for  this  purpose, 
20  feet  long,  9  feet  broad,  with  flat  bottom,  and  so 
deep  that  we  can  sit  and  lie  comfortably  inside  them. 
They  have  a  deck,  and  are  so  big  that  the  whole  crew 
can  live  even  in  one  of  them.  These  boats  will  be 
placed  side  by  side  on  the  ice,  will  be  covered  with 
thick  warm  tents  and  snow,  and  will  give  us  two  good 
warm  saloons.  Thus  we  can  continue  our  journey. 
There  is  certa.  V  no  reason  whv  one  should  not  be 
able  to  live  comfortably  enough  in  this  way  if  one  is 
only  prepared  for  it.  The  only  difference  will  be  that 
we  have  now  got  two  small  ships  standing  on  the  ice 
instead  of  the  big  one  lying  between  the  floes.  When 
we  emerge  into  open  water  on  this  side  the  Pole  there 
will  not  be  any  great  difficulty  in  returning  home  in 
our  boats  .  <uch  a  ti  _:  has  been  done  many  times 
before. 

"  It  is  my  conviction  that  the  only  difficulty  will  be 
to  fd  duly  into  the  current  north  of  Siberia  ;  when 
is  fortunately  done,  we   mui:t  be   tarried  bume- 


72 


PRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


where  northward.     There  is  no  case  in  which  a  ship 
has  been  nipped  in  the  pack-ice  without  being  carried 
in  some  direction.     Whether  we  will  succeed  or  not, 
I  feel  convinced  that  this  is  the  way  in  which  the  un- 
known regions  will  some  day  be  crossed.     To  travel 
in  tl  is  manner  is   certainly  no  new  fashion;  it  has 
been  tried  many  times  before.     I  need  only  remind 
you  of  Sir  Leopold  McClintock's  drift  with  the  Fox 
during  eight  months  in  the  winter  of  1857-58,  when 
he   drifted    1200   miles    from   the   northern   part   of 
Baffin's  Bay  down  towards  Labrador.     Several  years 
later   (1872)   a   party   from    the   Polaris   expedition 
drifted   on   an   ice-floe  even   a   longer  distance  very 
nearly  along  the  same  route.     Along  the  east  coast  of 
Greenland    many    such    ice-drifts   have   occurred.     I 
may  remind  you  of  the  whole  fleet  of  whalers — about 
twenty-eight  in  number — which  in  June,   1777,  were 
nipped  between  latitude  74°  and  75°   N.,  and  which 
drifted   in  the  ice  southward  along  the  whole   east 
Greenland    coast.      The   last    ship   was    crushed    in 
October  in  latitude  61    30'  N.>  after  having  drifted  a 
distance  of  1250  mil  .-s  in   one   hundred   and   seven 
days.     Some  of  the  men  continued  the  drift  on  the 
ice,  rounded  Cape  Farewell,  and  reached  at  last  the 
Danish  settlements  on  the  west  coast,  the  whole  drift 
being  about   1600  miles  or  more.     In  the  winter  of 
1869  and  1870  the  Hansa  crew  drifted  on  an  ice-floe, 
as  you  will   remember,  along  the  same  coast,  very 
nearly  the  same  route  and  the  same  distance  as  the 
whalers  in  1777,  until  they,  after  nine  months,  arrived 
safely  at  a  .settlement  west  of  Cape  Farewell.     During 
our  attempt  to  land  on  the  east  coast  of  Greenland,  in 
1888,  wc  also,  as   will   be   known,   had   some   little 


HOW   TO  CROSS   THE   NORTH    POLAR    REGION.      73 


experience  in  this  drifting,  and  in  1882  I  also  tried  a 
little  of  it  with  a  Norwegian  sealer. 

"  In  the  sea  between  Novaya  Zemlya  and  Franz 
Josef  Land  the  Austro-Hungarian  expedition  in  the 
Tegetthoff  dvih^d  for  a  period  of  one  year  and  a-half ; 
but  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  a  striking  difference 
between  this  drift  and  those  above-mentioned  is  that 
it  had  no  southern  direction  ;  it  went  north-pasty  north, 
and  north-westward.  In  this  respect  the  drift  of  the 
Jeatinette  during  two  years  from  a  point  to  the  north 
of  Behring  Strait  is  also  most  remarkable,  as  it  went 
in  a  north-westerly  direction. 

"  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  drifting  in  the  ice  is  no 
new  mode  of  travelling  in  the  Arctic  regions,  neither 
is  it  new  to  make  discoveries  in  this  way.  During  the 
drift  of  the  Tegetthoffthe  most  important  Arctic  dis- 
covery of  recent  times  was  made — viz.,  Franz  Josef 
Land,  and  during  the  drift  of  the  Jeannette  several 
islands  were  discovered.  The  only  new  feature  in  my 
plan  will  be  that  I  ivish  to  be  drifted,  while  these 
previous  expeditions  drifted  against  their  will. 

"  There  is  a  possibility  that  we  may  be  stopped  by 
unknown  lands  near  the  Pole,  or  that  we  may  strike 
an  eddy  or  a  side  current,  but  we  hardly  run  any  great 
risk  in  any  of  these  cases.  If,  in  the  former  case,  we 
should  fail  to  get  our  ship  afloat  again,  we  should  have 
to  leave  her  and  strike  out  for  the  nearest  current  to 
drift  on  again,  or  return  homeward  travelling  over  the 
ice.  When  we  only  take  care  to  travel  with  the 
current  and  not  against  it  there  will  certainly  be  no 
special  difficulty  in  doing  this ;  and  if  the  distance 
should  be  too  great,  we  should  leave  all  boats,  taking 
only   light   sledges,   v/ith   necessary   provisions,  etc., 


inm 


74 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


I 


beside  canvas  for  boat-making,  walk  on  until  we  reach 
Spitzbergen  or  any  other  land  where  there  is  open 
water.  Here  we  would  make  boats  of  canvas,  or,  if 
possible,  of  the  skins  of  seals  or  walruses,  like  that  we 
made  when  we  reached  the  west  coast  of  Greenland. 
If  we  are  caught  by  a  side  current  this  must  at  last 
bring  us  somewhere  ;  it  cannot  for  ever  run  in  a  ring 
round  the  Pole ;  and  wherever  we  come  near  the 
coasts  of  the  polar  sea,  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in 
returning  home.  It  may  be  possible  that  the  current 
will  not  carry  us  exactly  across  the  Pole,  but  the 
principal  thing  is  to  explore  the  nnknoiun  polar  regions, 
not  to  reach  exactly  that  mathematical  point  in 
which  the  axis  of  our  globe  has  its  northern  ter- 
mination. 

"  The  only  experience  which  can  give  us  some 
idea  as  to  the  time  the  current  will  require  to  drift 
the  expedition  across  is  the  drift  of  the  relics  from 
thQ  Jeannette.  If  we  assume  that  they  required  one 
year  for  the  drift  southward  along  the  east  coast 
of  Greenland  from  latitude  80°  N.,  only  two. years 
remain  for  the  rest  of  the  journey,  and  this  requires 
a  speed  of  no  more  than  two  nautical  miles  daily. 
This  does  not  seem  too  high  a  rate  when  we  remem- 
ber that  the  Jeannette  drifted  at  the  same  speed 
the  last  half-year  of  her  drifting.  It  cannot,  there- 
fore, be  considered  improbable  that  we  should  reach 
open  water  on  this  side  of  the  Pole  within  two  years 
after  our  start  from  the  Siberian  side.  One  cannot, 
however,  expect  that  the  course  will  be  one  straight 
line  forward  during  all  this  time.  There  will  cer- 
tainly come  periods  during  which  the  drift  is  quite 
stopped,  or  when   we    may  even   be   carried    back- 


now   TO    CROSS   THE   NORTH    POLAR    REGION.      75 

ward,  and  the  route  and  time  can  thus  be  easily 
lengthened  ;  but  when  we,  as  already  mentioned, 
take  provisions  for  five  or  six  years,  we  may  consider 
that  we  have  an  ample  margin.  This  may,  perhaps, 
seem  to  many  to  be  a  long  time,  but  there  is  a  great 
advantage  in  this  route,  and  that  is,  that  when  the 
expedition  is  once  well  begun,  there  will  not  be  much 
help  in  looking  backwards  ;  our  hope  will  lie  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Pole,  and  such  a  knowledge  is  a 
good  help  to  got  f ram,  or  forward. 

"  There  are  a  great  many  things  in  our  equipment 
which  ought  also  perhaps  to  be  mentioned ;  but,  as 


nansen's  ski  si.eik;e  (loaded). 

this  paper  has  already  become  so  long,  I  shall  only 
mention  a  few  of  the  most  important  points. 

"  To  get  fresh  food  we  will  shoot  as  much  as 
possible,  and  for  this  purpose  we  will  carry  light 
sealing  boats,  as  also  Eskimo  kayaks.  The  use  of 
these  excellent  light  craft  I  learnt  to  appreciate  in 
Greenland  ;  they  are  very  good  to  shoot  and  fish 
from,  can  easily  be  carried  long  distances  over  the 
ice,  and  can  be  used  wherever  there  is  a  little 
open  water. 

"  To  make  excursions  over  the  ice  in  case  we  shall 
meet  with  land — which,  of  course,  is  very  likely — we 
will  take  dogs,  sledges,  ski,  and  snow-shoes  with  us, 
besides  full  equipment  for  sledge  travelling.  I  hope 
to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  this  way  by  making 


76 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


excursions  in  all  directions  where  anything  of  import- 
ance may  be  expected.  For  entertainment  during  the 
long  winter  nights,  ls  well  as  for  all  kinds  of  scientific 
work,  a  good  library  will  naturally  form  a  most 
important  part  of  our  equipment. 

"  Our  scientific  equipment  will  be  chosen  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  the  best  instruments  accessible  will 
be  taken.  I  shall  not,  however,  tire  you  with  an 
enumeration  of  them  ;  they  will  naturally,  to  a  great 
extent,  be  much  like  what  other  Arctic  expeditions 
have  had.  I  may  only  mention  that  I  have  also 
got  a  pendulum  apparatus  and  the  necessary  astro- 
nomical universal  instrument,  in  the  hope  that  we 
may  get  some  opportunity  of  making  pendulum 
observations  on  northern  latitudes,  which  is,  of  course, 
of  the  greatest  interest. 

"  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  we  will  have  to 
overcome  will  perhaps  be  the  scurvy.  It  has  been 
very  bad  on  many  previous  expeditions,  and  during 
the  long  time  we  expect  to  be  away,  it  is  not 
impossible  that  it  might  occur.  I  do  nc»t,  however, 
consider  this  to  be  very  probable.  T  am  examining 
the  question  very  closely,  and  all  possible  precautions 
are  being  taken  to  avoid  it.  In  our  time  science 
ought  to  be  able  to  produce  an  equipment  as  regards 
provisions  which  will  make  scurvy  an  impossibility. 
It  is  a  ghastly  enemy,  that  is  true,  as  we  do  not  know 
its  nature  and  origin.  But  it  seems  as  if  it  almost 
never  occurs  except  in  connection  with  badly-pre- 
served meat,  and  especially  salted  meat,  and  I  cannot 
understand  why,  then,  we  should  take  such  a  thing 
with  us;  there  is  plenty  of  other  things  to  choose 
from.     Alcoholic  drinks  will,  of  course,  not  be  taken. 


HOW   TO  CROSS  THE   NORTH    POLAR   REGION.      TJ 


"  To  live  a  healthy  life  in  all  respects  is  naturally 
very  important.     Two  of  the  principal  conditions  to 
keep   one's  health  are  heat  and  light.     In  order  to 
produce  the   necessary  heat,  we   live  together   in    a 
small    room    during   the   coldest    season.      We    will 
also  have  good  warm  clothes.     Woollen  ones  I  regard 
as  best   for  indoors,   but   in   the   open   air   skin   or 
canvas    suits    to    put    outside    the   woollen   clothes 
are    necessary   to    protect    one    against    the    biting 
wind  and  the  snow-drift.     To  heat  our  saloon  there 
will  certainly  not  be  much  wanted,  even  during  the 
severest  col"',.      A   few   paraffin    lamps    or    a   small 
paraffin    stove   will    certainly  be    sufficient.      There 
will,   of  course,   also    be   care    taken    to    get    good 
ventilation.     We  thus  run  no  risk,  I  think,  of  suffer- 
ing from  want  of  heat.     With  the  light  it  is,  however, 
worse.     Almost  no  organism  can  exist  without  that, 
and  therefore  various  illnesses  occur  during  the  long 
Arctic  nights.     This  it  would  seem  difficult  to  avoid 
in  regions  where  the  darkness  lasts  six  months.     I 
believe,  however,  that  we  shall  be  able  to  overcome 
this  difficulty  also  by  help  of  the  wonderful  electric 
light.      We    shall    have    a    dynamo    for    producing 
electricity.     Many  will  perhaps  ask  how  we  shall  get 
the  necessary  power  to  make  it  work.     This  cannot, 
however,   be   difficult.     On   one   hand   we   have   the 
wind.     The  meteorologists  are  certainly  of  opinion 
that  this  will  not,  as  a  rule,  be  very  strong  in  the  cold 
over  the  polar  sea ;  but  a  little  we  must  find  there 
also,   and    if    the   sails   of  our   windmill    are   made 
sufficiently  big,  we  do  not  want  much  to  turn  them. 
But  even  when  there  is  no  wind  at  all  we  will  be  able 
to  produce  power.     We  are  thirteen  men,  strong,  and 


78 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


well  picked,  as  I  hope,  and  when  a  capstan  is 
arranged  on  deck  wfi  will  be  able  to  do  work  similar 
to  that  which  a  horse  docs  in  its  horse-mill  on  land. 
In  this  capstan  four  men  take  their  turn  at  a  time  ; 
thus  we  will  obtain  good  and  regular  exercise — some- 
what monotonous  perhaps — and  will  at  the  same  time 
be  useful  by  producing  electricity,  so  that  we  can 
have  an  electric  arc-lamp  burning  eight  hours  a-day. 
Everybody  will  understand  what  a  blessing  that  must 
be  when  one  is  surrounded  by  constant  darkness. 
When  the  sun  begins  to  sink  to  disappear  behind  the 
horizon  in  the  south  for  the  last  time,  we  begin  to 
walk  in  a  ring  in  the  darkness  on  the  deck  of  our 
ship,  in  order  to  produce  a  r  v  sun.  In  this  way  we 
will  slowly  move  forward.  I  hope  that  you,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  will  sometimes  send  us  a  kind 
thought  while  we  go  round  in  our  rr.ill  there  far 
north  in  the  solemn  silence  of  the  long  polar 
night." 


rilK    "  KKAM 


CHAPTER  VII. 

nansen's  arctic  ship. 


As  soon  as  the  Storthing  in  1890  agreed  to  aid 
Nansen,  he  made  arrangements  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  suitable  vessel.  After  several 
models  had  been  submitted  to  him  by  Mr. 
Colin  Archer,  of  Laurvik,  he  finally  decided  as  to  the 
build.  The  work  was  proceeded  with  at  once,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  over  two  years  the  vessel  was  ready 
for  sea. 

The  Fram  {anglic^^  forward)  is  the  strongest  vessel 
of  her  size  that  has  ever  been  built  for  Arctic  explora- 
tion. She  was  launched  at  Laurvik,  a  seaport  of 
Norway  at  the  head  of  a  small  fjord  on  the  east  side 
of  Christiania  Fjord,  ninety-eight  miles  by  rail,  S.S.VV. 
of  the  capital,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1892,  and  was 
christened  by  the  doctor's  wife,  amid  great  acclama- 

79 


8o 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


tion  from  the  friends  and  sightseers  who  had  gathered 
from  afar  to  see  this  strange  ship  begin  her  career. 
Those  who  were  present  at  the  launch  say  it  was  a 
moment  of  deep  emotion  when,  amid  the  booming  of 
guns  and  the  cheers  of  the  assembled  people,  the 
curious  vessel  plunged  into  the  waters  of  RcL'kevik 
Bay  and  rose  again,  slowly  but  proudly,  to  ride  them 
in  its  freedom. 

Two  men  deserve  great  praise  in  the  construction 
of  the  Fram — the  designer,  Mr.  Colin  Archer,  and  the 
shipbuilder,  Mr.  Anders  Olsen.  Hardly  any  other 
man  in  Norway  could  better  guarantee  a  solid  and 
careful  finish  of  the  polar  vessel  according  to  the 
approved  model  than  Mr.  Colin  Archer.  As  a 
designer  of  ships  he  has  done  much.  A  Norwegian 
paper,  speaking  of  his  life's  work,  says : — "  His  is  a 
name  of  known  and  dear  sound  to  pilots  and  yachts- 
men all  round  the  country.  His  life's  aim  has 
especially  been  to  improve  the  pilot  boats  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  For  what  he  has  done  in  this 
direction  we  owe  him  great  thanks,  in  spite  of  inherited 
Norwegian  antipathy  to  anything  new." 

Mr.  Archer  is  of  Scotch  descent.  His  youth  was 
passed  in  Laurvik,  to  which  place  his  father  removed 
in  1827.  When  young  he  went  to  England,  and, 
later,  to  Australia,  where  he  lived  some  time.  For 
the  last  tvv^enty-eight  years  Laurvik  has  again  been 
his  home. 

The  larger  portion  of  this  chapter  is  quoted  by  kind 
permission  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  from 
Nansen's  lecture,  "  How  can  the  North  Polar  Regions 
be  Crossed  ?  "  A  few  additions  and  alterations  were 
necessary,  as  further  light  was  thrown  on  the  expedi- 


c 
'/ 

r. 


8t 


NANSEN'S   ARCTIC   SHIP. 


83 


tion  after  it  started,  although  in  the  main  the  extracts 
are  strictly  accurate.  After  dealing  at  some  length 
with  his  drift  theory,  the  doctor  continued  : — 

"  I  have  built  a  wooden  si  ip  as  small  and  as  strong 
as  possible ;  it  is  just  big  enough  to  carry  provisions 
for  thirteen  men  for  five  or  six  years,  besides  the 
necessary  fuel  ;  her  size  is  about  600  tons  displace- 
ment, with  light  cargo.  She  shall  have  an  engine  of 
160  indicated  horse-power,  which  will  give  her  a 
speed  of  six  knots,  with  a  consumption  of  2J  tons  of 
coal  in  twenty-four  hours.  With  sails  alone  she  will 
likely  attain  a  speed  of  eight  or  nine  knots  under 
favourable  circumstances.  She  will  consequently  be 
no  fast  vessel,  nor  a  good  sailer ;  but  this  is  of 
relatively  little  importance  on  an  expedition  like  ours, 
where  we  shall  have  to  depend  principally  on  the 
speed  of  the  current  and  the  ice-movement,  and  not 
on  that  of  the  ship.  A  ship's  ability  to  break  her 
way  through  the  pack-ice  does  not  at  all  depend  on 
her  speed,  but  on  her  steam  power  and  her  shape ; 
for  it  is  naturally  the  thing  of  importance  to  get  a 
strong  ship,  and  the  most  important  feature  in  her 
construction  is  that  she  shall  be  built  on  such  lines  as 
will  give  her  the  greatest  power  of  resistance  to  the 
pressure  of  the  ice.  Her  sides  must  not  be  perpendic- 
ular, as  those  of  ships  generally  are,  but  must  slope 
from  the  bulwarks  to  the  keel  ;  or,  to  use  a  sailor's 
expression,  her  'dead  rise*  must  be  made  great,  so 
that  the  floes  shall  get  no  hold  of  her  when  they  are 
pressed  together,  but  will  glide  downward  alon^^  her 
sides  and  under  her,  thus  tending  to  lift  her  out  of  the 
water.  The  sides  of  most  ships  used  in  the  Arctic 
seas  have  been  almost  straight  up  and  down,  in  spite 


( ) 


«4 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


of  which  defect  they  have  stood  the  pressure  of  the 
ice  pretty  well,  and  many  of  them  have  even  been 
lifted  completely  out  of  the  water,  and  have  for 
Ioniser  or  shorter  times  stood  dry  on  the  ice  without 
hchv^  dama.c^cd.  This  practically  happens  very  often 
with  the  small  scaling  vessels  from  the  north  of 
Norway  which  catch  seals  and  walrus  in  the  sea 
round  Novaya  Zcmlya  and  Spitzbcr^en.  .  .  .  Though 
the  Jeanncttc  had  a  shape  which  in  this  respect  was 
very  bad,  and  though  she  was  an  old  and  not  very 
strong  ship,  she  managed  to  withstand  the  ice-pressure 
for  nearly  two  years  (twenty-one  months).  It  will 
consequently  be  understood  that  a  very  slight  altera- 
tion of  shape  will  give  us  a  very  strong  ship,  and  one 
which  car  scarcely  be  crushed  by  the  floe-ice  if  it  is 
properly  handled.  For  the  same  reason  the  vessel 
ought  to  be  as  small  as  possible,  as  the  lighter  she  is 
the  more  easily  she  will  be  lifted  by  the  ice,  and  the 
less  pressure  there  will  be  on  her  sides  ;  it  is  also 
easier  to  make  a  small  ship  strong  than  a  big  one. 
A  small  ship  has  other  advantages,  as  it  is  more 
convenient  to  navigate  and  to  handle  in  the  ice,  and 
it  is  easier  to  find  good  and  safe  places  for  it  between 
the  floes.     • 

"  As  great  length  is  a  weakness  during  the  pressure 
and  twisting  of  the  pack-ice,  the  ship  ought  also  to  be 
as  short  as  her  necessary  bearing  capacity  will  allow. 
The  result  of  this  in  connection  with  the  very  sloping 
sides  is  that  our  ship  is  disproportionately  broad 
compared  with  her  length.  Her  breadth  is  about 
one-third  of  the  latter.  Flat  sides  are  avoided  as 
much  as  possible  near  the  places  which  will  be  most 
exposed  to  the  attack  of  the  ice,  and  the  hull  has 


NANSEN  S   ARCTIC  SHIP. 


85 


las 


plump  and  rounded  forms.  There  are  no  sharp, 
projecting  corners  ;  every  edge  is  broken  and  rounded. 
Even  the  keel  does  not  project  very  much  ;  it  is 
almost  covered  by  the  planking,  and  only  three 
inches  are  visible  outside  the  ice-skin,  and  the  sharp 
edges  are  quite  rounded.  On  the  whole  the  ship  will, 
I  hope,  leave  no  place  for  the  ice  to  catch  hold  of 
Round  and  slippery  like  an  eel,  she  will  escape 
its  cold  and  strong  grasp. 

"  The  ship  will  be  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  on  the 
whole  she  resembles  very  much  a  Norwegian  pilot- 
boat,  or,  as  I  am  told,  a  Scotch  buckie  boat,  only  that 
she  of  course  is  carvel-built,  and  that  the  keel  and 
the  sharp  bottom  are  cut  off.  Her  bottom  is  near  the 
keel,  comparatively  flat,  in  order  that  she  shall  have 
something  to  rest  on  without  being  capsized  in  case 
she  should  be  completely  lifted  on  to  the  ice.  Both 
stem  and  stern  are  considerably  curved  in  order  that 
the  ice  shall  get  no  hold  there.  The  stem  is  also 
much  sloped,  because  it  will  then  more  easily  force 
the  ice-floes  under  her  when  she  is  breaking  her  way 
through  the  ice. 

"  The  screw  can  be  raised  when  necessary,  and 
protected  from  damage  in  a  well.  It  can  also  easily 
be  changed  if  it  is  broken,  and  for  that  purpose  we 
shall  carry  two  reserve  screws.  This  is,  as  will  be 
known,  an  usual  arrangement  in  modern  scalers  or 
whalers  ;  but  besides  this,  the  rudder  can  also  easily 
be  unshipped  and  raised  through  a  well.  This  is, 
I  think,  a  fortunate  and  ingenious  idea  of  the  ship- 
builder, Mr.  Colin  Archer,  and  is  a  very  simple 
arrangement.  The  rudder  is,  moreover,  placed  so 
low  that  it  will  be  entirely  submerged  even  when  the 


86 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


ship  is  lightly  loaded.  This  is  so  arranged  in  order 
that  the  ice  shall  not  be  able  to  strike  it,  and  thus 
break  it  by  even  a  sudden  pressure  or  movement  ;  it 
will,  instead,  meet  the  strong  stern.  The  latter  is  the 
Achilles  heel  of  the  sealers  and  whalers,  where  the  ice 
may  very  easily  damage  them  by  breaking  the  rudder. 
During  my  last  voyage  with  the  Jason  to  the  east 
coast  of  Greenland  we  had  such  an  accident,  showing 
how  easily  it  may  happen.  When  th  ^  rudder,  then, 
is  not  so  arranged  as  in  our  ship,  it  tak  s  a  long  time 
to  have  it  unhooked  and  another  put  >n,  especially 
when  you  have  no  great  crew.  Our  stern  is,  as  usual, 
furnished  with  two  perpendicular  stern  posts,  one  a 
propeller  post,  the  other  a  rudder  post,  made  of  big 
oak  timbers  about  27  in.  broad.  On  both  sides  of 
these  are  bolted  very  big  and  strong  cur  '  oak 
timbers,  running  along  the  sloping  stern  upwards  to 
the  deck,  thus  forming,  in  a  way,  a  double  stern. 
Jietwccn  them  are  the  wells,  through  which  the 
screw  and  rudder  can  be  lifted.  This  stern  construc- 
tion is  very  simple,  and  certainly  exceedingly  strong. 
"  The  stem  is,  of  course,  also  made  very  strong. 
It  is  composed  of  three  big  oak  baulks,  one  inside 
the  other,  so  that  the  thickness  of  solid  oak  is  50  in. 
Inside  the  stem  big  and  strong  breasthooks  of  oak 
and  iron  are  placed  to  connect  the  ship's  sides  with 
each  other  and  with  the  stem.  From  these  breast- 
hooks  stays  go  to  the  pawl-bit  in  order  to  strengthen 
the  stem  and  divide  the  pressure.  Outside  this 
wooden  stem  comes  an  iron  one,  and  Cc'^'^ir^'i  this 
again  come  transverse  iron  bars  and  p'lau:?,  which  r.o 
some  small  distance  backwards  on  each  r.id  i  to  pro- 


tect the  wood  against  the  ice. 


■;i 


NANSEN'S   ARCTIC   SHII'. 


87 


"  Both  the  stem  and  the  stern  posts  are,  of  course, 
carefully  attached  to  the  keel  by  strong  cross  and 
longitudinal  iron  rlamps  and  wooden  knees.  When 
I  add  that  the  ttern  is  also  protected  by  an  iron 
sheeting,  it  will,  I  hope,  be  understood  that  the  two 
extremities  of  our  ship  are  pretty  well  protected. 

"  The  keel  is  made  of  two  big  baulks  of  American 
elm,  14  in.  square.  As  is  already  mentioned,  it  will 
be  almost  covered  by  the  outer  planking,  so  that 
there  will  only  be  a  projection  of  a  few  inches. 
Above  the  frame  timbers  aro  placed  two  keelsons, 
one  17  in.  and  the  other  12  in.  in  height,  both  bolted 
together  to  the  timbers  and  keel. 

"  The  frame  timbers  are  made  of  selected  ^  alian 
oak,  which  is  very  hard.  Only  naturally -curved 
timbers  are  used  ;  such  are  much  stronger  than  those 
curved  by  the  help  of  the  axe.  These  timbers  were 
originally  meant  for  some  man-of-war,  and  were 
thirty  years  ago  bought  for  the  Norwegian  navy  ; 
they  may  thus  be  said  to  be  well  seasoned.  The 
thickness  of  the  frame  timbers  is  about  10  in.  to 
12  in.;  they  are  ranged  in  couples,  squared,  and 
bolted  ogether,  all  joints  being  bound  with  iron. 
The  pairs  of  frames  are  placed  almost  close  together, 
leaving  only  a  space  of  i  in.  t  •  2  in.  between  each. 
These  spaces  were  left  in  order  to  give  the  very  dry 
timbers  a  little  room  in  case  they  should  swell  when 
they  came  into  the  water ;  the  spaces  arc,  however, 
filled  with  a  mixture  of  pitch,  tar,  and  sawdust,  so 
that  if  the  outer  plankings  were  shaved  away  the 
vessel  would  still  reinau'  nearly  water-tight. 

"  The  ceiling  consists  of  pitch-pine  planks  alter- 
nately 4  in.  and  8  in.  in  thickness,     (t  is  twice  care- 


88 


FRIDTJOF  NANSEN. 


fully  caulked  with  oakum  to  make  it  tight.  The 
planking  consists  of  three  layers :  first,  a  3  in.  oak 
layer,  over  which  another  of  4  in.,  and,  finally,  an 
outer  planking,  or  *  ice-sheathing,'  of  greenheart, 
which  increases  in  thickness  from  the  keel  towards 
the  water-line  from  3  in.  to  6  in.  Greenheart  is,  as 
you  will  know,  a  very  hard,  strong,  and  slippery 
wood,  well  fit  to  prott  :t  the  hulk  against  the  damage 
of  the  ice,  its  only  fauk  being  that  it  is  so  heavy  that 
it  sinks  in  water.  Each  layer  was  carefully  caulked 
with  oakum  and  pitch  in  the  ordinary  way  before  the 
next  skin  was  placed  on  to  it. 

"  The  whole  thickness  of  the  sides  of  the  ship  is 
thus  28  in.  to  32  in. — a  solid  mass  of  pitch-pine,  oak, 
and  greenheart,  with  a  little  pitch  in  between.  It 
will  easily  be  understood  that  a  ship's  side  of  such 
dimensions  and  material  will  alone  have  a  great 
power  of  resistance  to  the  pressure  of  the  ice.  But 
this  power  is,  to  a  verj'  essential  degree,  increased  by 
the  many  beams,  stays,  and  strengthenings  of  every 
kind  placed  inside  the  vessel.  There  are  two  decks, 
an  upper  and  lower  one,  each  of  4  in.  red  pine.  The 
deck  beams  are  of  oak  and  pitch-pine,  10  in.  or  11  in. 
square.  Numerous  upright  stanchions  and  stays  are 
placed  as  supports  to  the  beams  and  the  sides  ;  they 
unite  the  beams  of  the  two  decks  to  each  other  and 
to  the  ship's  side.  The  principle  of  arrangements  of 
the  stays  is  that  they  shall  be  placed  as  perpendicular 
in  the  ship's  side  as  possible,  in  order  to  strengthen 
these  against  pressure  from  the  outside,  and  to  divide 
the  latter.  For  this  purpose  the  pcrpciuHcular  stays 
between  the  beams  of  the  two  decks,  and  between 
the  lower  deck  beams  and  tlte  kelsons,  arc  also  very 


NANSEN  S  ARCTIC  SHIP. 


89 


well  fitted.  .  .  .  The  whole  is  like  one  coherent  mass, 
and  the  ship  may  almost  be  considered  as  if  built  of 
solid  wood. 

"The  beams  of  the  lower  deck  are  placed  some- 
what under  the  water-line,  where  the  pressure  of  the 
ice  will  be  worst.  In  the  after-part,  above  the  engine, 
we  were  obliged  to  raise  the  deck  a  little,  in  order  to 
give  room  for  engine  and  boilers ;  but  instead  the 
beams  are  here  supported  by  two  sloping  stanchions 
on  each  side  insvead  of  one,  so  that  also  this  part 
must  be  considered  as  very  strong.  As  the  lower 
deck  was  raised,  we  were  also  obliged  to  lift  the 
upper  one  in  order  to  give  room  for  cabins.  These 
are  thus  covered  by  a  half-deck  or  poop,  three  or  four 
feet  m  height. 

"The  whole  ship  is  divided  into  three  rooms  or 
divisions,  by  two  water-tight  wooden  bulkheads,  so 
that  if  the  vessel,  in  spite  of  all,  should  happen  to 
spring  a  leak,  there  will  still  be  two  water-tight 
divisions  left  to  keep  her  floating.  She  is  also  fur- 
nished with  pumps,  one  of  which  will  be  a  great 
centrifugal  pump,  which  may  be  driven  by  the 
engine,  and  put  into  communication  with  all  the 
divisions,  and  thus  empty  the  vessel  in  a  short  time 
in  case  she  should  leak. 

"  The  most  important  feature  in  the  rig  of  a  polar 
vessel  ought  to  be  that  it  is  as  simple  and  as  strong 
as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  it  should  be  light, 
and  make  little  resistance  to  the  wind  when  the 
vessel  is  steaning.  For  these  reasons  we  have 
chosen  to  lig  her  as  a  three-masted  fore-and-aft 
schooner,  the  sails  of  which  are  very  easy  to  handle 
from    the   deck,  which  also  |s   of  some  importance 


90 


bRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


when  you  have  a  small  crew  not  consisting  of  first- 
rate  sailors  only.  On  the  foremast  there  will  also  be 
two  loose  yards  for  a  square  foresail  and  topsail. 
The  area  of  her  sails  will  be  about  650  sq.  yds.  The 
undermasts  are  rather  high  and  strong ;  the  main- 
mast is  82  ft.  in  length,  and  the  topmast  is  50  ft. 
On  the  top  of  this  is  the  crow's-nest,  which  will  thus 
be  at  a  height  of  about  105  ft.  above  the  water.  It 
is  of  importance  that  the  crow's-nest  be  placed  as 
high  as  possible,  in  order  to  get  a  wide  view  over  the 
ice. 

*'  The  quarters  for  officers  and  crew  are  so  arranged 
that  the  saloon  is  in  the  middle,  on  all  sides  sur- 
rounded by  the  cabins,  the  galley,  and  the  bunkers ; 
thus,  by  help  of  these  rooms,  the  saloon  is  well  pro- 
tected against  the  cold  and  moisture  arising  from 
the  ship's  side.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  with 
the  life  on  board  the  vchhcIs  of  iiiost  polar  expedi- 
tions has  been  that  tin;  moisture  of  the  warm  air  in 
the  small  cabins  was  condensed  on  the  cold  sides  of 
the  ship,  and  was  there  frozen  to  ice.  The  mat- 
tresses in  the  berths  in  these  walls  were  therefore 
very  often  transformed  into  as  many  lumps  of  ice. 
To  avoid  a  repetition  of  this  has  of  course  been  of 
impitituncc  to  us.  We  have  therefore  located  the 
saloon  as  described  in  order  that  we  may  all  live 
there  night  and  day,  in  case  it  should  be  necessary, 
duting  the  most  severe  cold.  We  shall  thus  follow 
\\\v  same  principle  as  the  I'^.skimo,  living  many  people 
In  a  small  mom  to  make  it  warm  ;  we  shall  certainly 
Hut  lilt  II  wnnt  mnrli  lo  heat  it. 

"  Mm  besliles  this,  every  prcraution  is  taken  t:> 
Isolate  the  walls  and  make  them  warm,  and  to  pre- 


'^ 


NANSEN'S   ARCTIC   SHIP. 


91 


vent  the  moisture  being  condensed  on  them.  The 
ship's  sides  are,  on  the  inner  side,  covered  with  tarred 
felt ;  then  comes  a  thick  layer  of  cork  ;  inside  this  a 
wooden  wainscot ;  then  a  layer  of  felt  a  few  inches 
thick  ;  next  comes  a  nearly  air-tight  layer  of  painted 
canvas  or  linoleum ;  and  then  another  wainscot. 
The  air-tight  canvas  is  there  in  order  to  prevent  the 
warm  and  moist  air  from  inside  prni'trating  into  the 
layers  of  felt  and  cork,  and  giving  off  moisture  there, 
thus  transforming  them  into  ice.  This  principle  we 
have  followed,  on  the  whole,  also  in  the  roof  The 
walls  between  the  cabins  and  the  saloon  are  made  in 
a  similar  way,  and  the  roof  and  floor  arc  very  thick, 
consisting  of  many  layers.  In  the  roof  there  is  a 
layer  of  reindeer  hair  a  couple  of  inches  thick,  which 
I  think  must  be  very  effective  as  a  heat  insulator, 
as  the  reindeer  hairs  are  so  very  porous  and  elastic. 
On  the  floors  and  walls  may,  of  course,  also  be  laid 
bear-skins  and  carpets,  to  make  them  still  warmer. 
I  hope  you  will  get  the  impression  that  everything 
is  made  to  give  us  a  snug  and  comfortable  saloon 
and  cabin,  fit  for  a  climate  such  as  we  may  expect. 

"  The  principal  dimensions  of  the  v^essel  are  as 
follows  : — Length  of  keel,  lOi  ft. ;  length  of  water- 
line,  113  ft. ;  length  over  all,  128  ft.  ;  beam  at  water- 
line  amidships,  excluding  the  '  ice-sheathing,'  33  ft.  ; 
greatest  beam,  excluding  the  '  ice-shcathing,'  36  ft. ; 
depth  moulded,  17  ft. ;  the  draught  with  light  carj/o 
is  12  ft. ;  the  displacLMnent  is  then  about  530  tons, 
but  when,  with  heavy  cargo,  the  draught  is  15}  ft,, 
the  displacement  will  be  about  800  tons.  Her  free- 
board will  then  be  only  3^  ft.  Such  will  probably  be 
the  case  when  we  leave  the  last  place  where  we  can 


92 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


get  coal,  as  we  will,  of  course,  then  load  her  with  as 
much  as  she  can  carry.  We  will  soon  burn  a  good 
deal  in  the  engines  and  she  will  be  gradually  lifted 
again. 

"The  hull,  with  boilers  filled,  weighs  about  420 
tons.  With  a  displacement  of  800  tons,  she  has 
consequently  a  bearing  capacity  for  380  tons  of  coal 
and  cargo.  Our  equipment  and  provisions  will  not 
likely  weigh  much  more  than  60  or  70  tons ;  thus 
3CX)  or  320  tons  bearing  capacity  will  be  left  for  coal 
and  fuel,  and  this  is  enough  for  about  four  months' 
steaming  with  full  speed.  We  shall  not,  however, 
likely  be  able  to  make  use  of  our  engines  more  than 
two  months  after  we  have  been  loaded  with  coal  for 
the  last  time.  A  great  quantity  will  thus  be  left  for 
heating  and  cooking  during  the  winters.  For  heating 
purposes  we  shall  also  carry  petroleum,  which  has  the 
advantage  of  giving  light  besides.  For  the  cooking 
we  shall  carry  alcohol.  .  .  .  Fram  will  certainly  be 
the  strongest  vessel  ever  used  in  the  Arctic  regions. 


that 


She  is  built  with  great  care,  and  I   feel  certain 
she  can    be  crushed   only  in   a  quite  extraordinary 
combination  of  circumstances." 

From  the  saloon  you  get  direct  to  the  berths. 
Nanscn  (who  occupies  without  a  doubt  the  smallest, 
darkest,  and  least  comfortable),  Sverdrup,  Scott- 
Harisen,  and  Dr.  l^lcssing  have  each  a  separate 
berth,  while  the  remainder  have  two  larger  berths 
between  them. 

Dr.  Nansen  said,  "  Let  us  have  gay  colours  ; "  and 
gay  they  certainly  were.  Above  the  surface  of  the 
water  the  Fram  was  painted  grey,  the  gunwale  is 
green,   the   poop   and    great    tanks    for   water    and 


NANSEXS   ARCTIC   SHIP. 


93 


petroleum  were  painted  scarlet.  Red,  white,  and 
green,  like  a  Heligoland  flag,  were  the  prevailing 
colours  on  deck.  I'he  crow's  nest  is  white,  the 
saloon  is  also  white,  the  doors,  etc.,  tastefully  picked 
out  with  red  and  green.  iXcross  the  saloon,  between 
the  two  doors  by  which  it  is  entered,  i^  i.  wooden 
couch,  in  shape  and  possibilities  of  comfort  remind- 


SALOON   OF   THE   •' FRAM." 


ing  one  of  the  old-fashioned  settle,  and  at  each  end 
there  are  projecting  sides  carved  to  represent  dragons' 
heads,  in  the  same  style  as  that  used  by  the  Vikings 
for  the  decoration  of  their  ships  and  houses  ;  these 
heads  are  artistically  decorated  with  white,  red,  and 
gold ;  but,  as  if  to  bring  one  back  to  the  realms 
of  utility,  a  large  and  practical-looking  table  stands 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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94 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


i|-' 


in  front  of  the  couch.  To  the  left  is  a  harmonium, 
which  can  readily  be  turned  into  an  organ  and 
played  by  turning  a  handle.  Around  the  mizzen- 
mast,  which  ascends  through  the  middle  of  the 
cabin,  is  arranged  a  settle,  and  there  is  also  a  stove 
heated  by  steam.  Several  paintings,  Norwegian 
landscapes  and  portraits,  by  well-known  artists, 
have  been  given  to  the  expedition,  and  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  saloon.  An  admirable  portrait  of  P'ru 
Nansen  and  her  daughter,  by  Werenskiold,  the 
celebrated  Norwegian  artist,  is  also  hung  on  the 
walls,  while  within  the  cabins  are  to  be  seen  scenes 
of  "  home  life  "  and  portraits  of  dear  friends. 

The  expedition  was  fitted  out  most  thoroughly. 
Everything  was  carefully  thought  out  during  eight 
years  previous  to  sailing,  and  over  ;^25,ooo  was 
expended  upon  the  ship  and  its  outfit,  the  vessel 
alone  costing  nearly  ;^io,ooo.  In  all  his  equipment 
Nannen  showed  a  freshness  of  thought  and  skill  in 
arrangement  that  argued  well  for  success. 

That  Dr.  Nansen  spared  no  energy  to  make  every- 
thing as  nearly  perfect  as  possible  has  been  frequently 
demonstrated,  and  I  call  to  mind  his  remarks  in 
"  The  First  Crossing  of  Greenland "  regarding  the 
testing  of  the  adaptability  of  his  sledges.  He 
writes:  —  "I  made  numerous  experiments  and 
changes,  and  even  undertook  a  journey  on  ski  over 
the  mountains  from  Bergen  to  Christiania  before 
I  finally  adopted  the  pattern  we  used."  Such  dili- 
gence deserved  to  meet  a  due  reward. 

The  Norwegian  National  Assembly  granted  a 
considerable  sum,  the  remainder  needed  being  con- 
tributed by  private  individuals,  and   amongst  those 


nansen's  arctic  ship. 


95 


whose   liberality  secured   the   admirable  outfit  were 
King  Oscar,  Mr.  Fearnley,  and  Mr.  Dick. 

Dr.  Nansen  would  not  start  until  everything  was 
paid. 

With  reference  to  the  grant  of  money  made  by 
the  Government  to  his  expedition,  Dr.  Nansen 
remarked,  previous  to  sailing : — "  My  countrymen 
are  poor,  but  tiicy  have  been  most  generous  to  me. 
If  I  had  made  the  expedition  an  international  affair, 
I  could  have  obtained  much  money  very  quickly. 
I  even  had  money  offered.  But  I  was  anxious  to 
make  the  expedition  a  national  one.  I  thoroughly 
believe  in  m.y  power  to  accomplish  my  object,  and 
is  it  not  natural  that  I  should  wish  to  give  my 
countrymen  the  first  thought  and  the  honour  accruing 
to  a  triumphant  expedition  ?  Our  success  will  be 
due  to  their  generous  enterprise." 

Polar  exploration,  it  might  be  well  to  explain 
here,  means  far  more  than  the  facing  of  grave 
danger  or  mapping  out  of  the  route.  The  leaders 
of  expeditions  such  as  those  of  Nansen,  Jackson, 
Peary,  and  others,  require  a  close  acquaintance  with 
all  the  various  and  delicate  instruments  used  for 
thorough  geographical  survey  work,  and  practical 
knowledge  of  their  use.  "  It  is  required  of  such 
expeditions,"  says  Mr.  Herbert  Ward,  "  to  furnish, 
in  addition  to  a  popular  account  of  the  voyage 
with  its  attendant  incidents,  such  accurate  and 
practical  information  as  can  be  recorded  by  scien- 
tists. The  temperature  of  the  soil,  snow,  and  ice, 
both  on  the  surface,  and  at  various  depths,  evapora- 
tion, terrestrial  magnetism,  galvanic  earth  currents, 
hydrographical  and  pendulum  observations,  records 


96 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


of  observations  on  atmospheric  electricity,  the  growth 
and  structure  of  the  ice,  the  physical  properties  of 
the  sea-water,  besides  collections  of  specimens  in 
the  departments  of  zoology,  botany,  and  geology — 
such  are  the  subjects  of  inquiry  and  the  nature  of 
the  information  required  of  a  polar  expedition.  In 
addition  to  compiling  exhaustive  data,  the  leader 
in  his  reports  has  to  conform  to  the  accepted  mode 
oi*  expressing  the  geographical  facts  that  may  be 
acquired."* 

*  English  Illustrated  Magazine^  November,  1896. 


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FIRST    MEETI>G   WITH   THE   ICE. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"WE  ARE   THIRTEEN    ALL    TOLD." 


DR.  NANSEN  dedicates  "  The  First  Crossing  of 
Greenland  "  to  his  "  five  comrades,  in  token  of 
gratitude  and  good  fellowship."  In  the  intro- 
duction he  says : — "  My  chief  thanks  are 
neverthele':^  owing  to  my  five  comrades,  to  whose 
combined  efforts  the  successful  result  of  our  under- 
taking is,  of  course,  mainly  due.  Every  one  who  has 
conducted  an  expedition  will  know  how  ready  the 
world  is  to  do  the  great  injustice  of  heaping  the 
whole  praise  or  blame  for  its  success  or  failure  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  leader  alone.  And  this  injustice  is 
greater  than  usual  in  the  case  of  an  expedition  like 
ours,  in  which  each  member  serves  as  one  of  a  team 

97  G 


98 


FRIDTJOF  NANSEN. 


Ih 


of  draught  cattle,  and  the  result  of  which  cannot, 
therefore,  be  dependent  on  the  efforts  of  a  single 
individual.  My  comrades,  too,  I  must  thank  for  the 
terms  of  good  fellowship  on  which  v/e  lived,  and  for 
the  many  pleasant  hours  we  spent  together  in  spite 
of  uncongenial  surroundings.  On  these  hours  I  have 
often  dwelt  with  peculiar  fondness  in  the  course  of 
my  narrative.  I  have  once  more  called  to  life  many 
a  little  incident  which  to  others  indeed  may  seem 
trivial,  but  which  has  a  special  value  to  us." 

The  same  spirit  was  shown  by  Nansen  to  his 
companions  on  board  the  Fram. 

At  the  concluiion  of  a  great  public  banquet  held 
in  honour  of  Nansen  and  his  companions  in  the 
Freemasons*  Hall,  in  Christiania,  a  week  before  sail- 
ing, Professor  Mohn  in  an  effective  speech  said : — 
"Fridtjof  Nansen  and  his  brave  companions  will 
all  share  the  one  cabin  on  the  Fram;  they  will 
all  share  the  same  dangers  and  hardships  of  the 
voyage ;  and  when  they  all  return,  as  I  firmly 
believe  they  will,  they  will  all  share  equally  the 
honours  and  reward  which  their  success  will  war- 
rant." 

Nansen  himself  remarked  previous  to  sailing : — 
"  My  object  is  a  serious  one.  I  would  serve  science. 
I  would  show  the  world  that  my  countrymen  are  not 
behind  any  other  nationality  in  courage  and  endur- 
ance. My  comrades  are  fine,  honest  men,  all  of  them. 
They  are  sailors ;  they  have  the  same  spirit  '"n  this 
enterprise  as  I  myself  have.  We  all  leave  wives 
behind  us,  except  our  physician,  and  none  of  us  will 
gain  riches." 

Every  one  of  his  companions  is  a  noted  skilober, 


INggnat 


Huiunbltn 


St»U  OaRln, 


jaiitini. 


jtlliiiltn. 


^RrincR. 


einruii 


3urg. 


Knktl. 


JtfloBftne  I  JlorJpofdfitnln'. 
SOME  01<    NANSEN's   COMI'ANIONS 


"  ITrT? 


WE   ARE   THIRTEEN    ALL  TOLD. 


»> 


lOI 


and  much  of  the  success  of  the  expedition  was  based 
upon  this  form  of  locomotion  if  the  Fram  had  to  be 
deserted. 

"  We  are  thirteen  all  told,"  wrote  Nansen. 


"The  Lucky  Thirteen." 


Fridtjof  Nansen,    . 
Otto  Neumann  Sverdrup,    . 
Sigurd  Scott-Hansen,    . 
Henrik  Grave  Blessing, 
Theodor  Claudius  Jacobsen, 
Peder  Leonard  Hendriksen, 
Frederik  Hjalmar  Johansen, 
Ivar  Otto  Irgens  Mogstad,  . 

Bernhard  Nordahl, 

Anton  Amundsen,    . 
Lars  Pettersen, 
Adolf  Juell,     . 
Beknt  L^entsen, 


Leader. 

Captain. 

Scientist. 

Physician. 

Mate. 

Harpooner. 

Fireinati. 

Carpenter. 
C  Electrical  Assistant 
y  and  Engineer. 

Engineer. 

Engineer. 

Steward  &^  Sailor. 

Sailor. 


These  men  had  the  one  saloon  in  common,  where 
all  meals  were  taken  and  leisure  hours  spent.  An 
excellent  library  was  on  board  containing  mental 
food  for  all  sorts  of  readers — scientific,  literary,  or 
otherwise.  They  had  cards  which,  judging  from 
their  besmeared  appearance  on  their  return,  were 
much  in  vogue,  chess,  draughts,  and  other  games  in 
great  quantity  ;  an  organ,  violin,  and  other  musical 
instruments.  It  was  the  officer's  duty  to  make  the 
men  comfortable  and  happy  in  the  dark  days.  After 
work,  concerts,  theatricals,  readings,  and  lectures  on 
the  work  of  the  expedition,  helped  to  keep  their 
thoughts  off  their  solitary  position,  and  from  home, 
and  thus  enabled  them  to  pass  the  three  dreary,  dark 


■  ;  i 


I 


102 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


six    months'   winters   in    comparative    comfort    and 
happiness. 

As  the  Frani  steamed  away  from  Christiania  shouts 
of  farewell  reached  her  crew  on  all  sides  : — 

"  Long  live  our  brave  Nansen  !  " 

"  Hurrah  for  Nansen's  comrades  !     Hurrah  ! " 

"  Come  home  again  to  us,  all  of  you  !  " 

All  Europe  echoed  that  cry,  and  trusted  that  the 
Fram's  crew  might  return  in  health  and  safety  to 
their  homes. 

Nansen's  companions  in  his  arduous  undertaking 
were  all  Norwegians.  The  applications  from  abroad 
to  accompany  the  expedition  were  rejected.  Among 
the  applicants  were  a  French  lady,  tired  of  life, 
and  a  little  Swedish  boy  thirteen  years  old.  But 
the  honour  was  to  be  Norway's  only !  Some  one 
said  (may  he  be  forgiven !)  it  was  a  pity  no 
Swedes  accompanied  them,  as  should  the  ship  run 
short  of  provisions  they  might  have  been  found 
useful. 

Conspicuous  even  among  the  taller  and  more 
commanding  figures  in  the  party  is  Sverdrup,  round- 
shouldered,  red-bearded  ;  indomitable  will  written  on 
his  face ;  the  proved  friend  and  comrade  of  Nansen. 
Of  all  the  crew  he  was  the  only  one  who  took  part 
in  the  first  crossing  of  Greenland.  The  two  Lapps 
of  that  expedition,  Balto  and  Ravna,  are  reported  to 
be  dead. 

Otto  Neumann  Sverdrup  was  the  captain  of  the 
Fram,  and  Dr.  Nansen's  right-hand  man.  He  was 
born  on  the  31st  of  October,  1855,  at  his  father's  farmi 
Haarstad,  in  Bindalen,  Helgeland.     Accustomed  to 


"WE  ARE  THIRTEEN   ALL  TOLD." 


103 


ski  from  early  childhood  in  his  wanderings  in  the 
forests  and  over  the  mountains  around  his  home  on 
all  sorts  of  errands,  he  soon  became  an  active  and 
accomplished  skilober.  He  was  taught  at  home  by 
a  private  tutor,  but  a  student's  life  was  distasteful  to 


OTrO   NEUMANN   SVERDRUP, 
The  Captain  of  the  Frain. 


him,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  sea,  and 
led  an  active  and  a  roving  life  in  Norwegian  and 
American  vessels.  In  1878  he  obtained  a  mate's 
certificate,  and  a  couple  of  years  afterwards  was 
wrecked  in  a  vessel  on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland, 


104 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


when,  chiefly  owing  to  his  bravery  and  presence  of 
mind,  the  crew  were  saved.  In  1888  he  joined 
Nansen's  party  on  its  trans-Greenland  journey,  and 
Nansen  says  of  him  : — "  We  never  found  him  wanting 
in  either  coolness  or  resource." 

When  Dr.  Nansen  finally  decided  on  undertaking 
the  voyage  to  the  Arctic  regions — the  two  of  them 
had  frequently  discussed  the  subject  en  route  over 
Greenland — Sverdrup  willingly  accepted  the  command 
of  the  vessel,  and  devoted  great  thought  and  care  to 
its  equipment. 

His  coolness  in  the  face  of  danger  was  admirably 
illustrated  in  his  "  night-watch  "  on  the  drifting  ice- 
floe off  the  east  coast  of  Greenland,  previous  to  that 
historic  crossing.  They  were  rapidly  drifting  to  the 
open  sea.  The  swell  was  so  great  that  when  down 
in  the  hollow  nothing  could  be  seen  but  the  blue  sky. 
Floes  crashed  together,  breaking  and  splitting,  and 
large  pieces  of  ice  were  thrown  on  to  the  floe,  gliding 
dangerously  near  to  the  boats  and  tent,  which  had 
to  be  held  down  to  keep  them  from  being  swept  into 
the  sea.  But  although  death  stared  them  in  the  face, 
Nansen  ordered  all  to  bed  to  rest,  and  prepare  for  a 
final  emergency.  Sverdrup,  as  the  most  experienced 
and  cool-headed  among  them,  was  to  take  the  first 
watch,  and  turn  the  others  out  at  the  critical  moment. 
In  two  hours  he  was  to  be  relieved.  But  faithful, 
unselfish  Sverdrup  let  his  comrades  sleep  on  through 
the  night,  and  in  the  midst  of  ever-increasing  dangers. 
The  floe  was  swirled  out  to  sea,  rocking  up  and 
down  like  a  vessel  in  a  storm.  A  huge  wave 
dashed  on  the  floe,  splitting  it  and  threatening  to 
engulf  the  party ;   Sverdrup  stood  ready  to  arouse 


"WE   ARE   THIRTEEN    ALL   TOLD." 


105 


the  sleepers,  but  the  danger  was  once  more  averted, 
and  the  solitary  "  watch "  again  resumed  hir.  vigil. 
When  things  got  to  the  worst  and  death  seemed 
imminent,  the  floe  was  suddenly  seized  by  a  counter 
current,  and  they  were  fortunately  hurried  in  towards 
the  land  and  safety. 

That  Dr.  Nansen  knew  Sverdrup  to  be  a  capable 
leader  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  he  left  the  Fram, 
in  the  midst  of  many  perils,  in  the  full  charge  of  this 
man,  well  knowing  that  if  anything  went  wrong 
with  the  vessel  or  her  crew  his  own  honour  was  at 
stake.  The  safe  return  of  the  Fram,  piloted  yet 
further  north  after  Dr.  Nansen  left  her  in  March, 
1895,  shows  a  consistency,  courage,  and  skill  which 
has  won  for  Sverdrup,  in  the  minds  of  Arctic  experts, 
laurels  but  little  second  to  those  gained  by  his  able 
and  accomplished  chief 

Next  comes  Lieutenant  Sigurd  Scott-Hansen, 
leader  of  the  meteorological,  astronomical,  magnetic, 
and  geodetic  observation  departments,  in  all  of  which 
subjects  he  has  had  a  special  training.  He  was  born 
on  the  24th  of  July,  1868,  at  Leith,  Scotland,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  Rev.  Andreas  Hansen,  then  chaplain  to 
the  Scandinavian  Seamen's  Church,  Edinburgh.  He 
was  the  youngest  member  of  the  expedition,  yet  his 
observations  will  vie  in  importance  with  any  other 
work  executed  during  this  remarkable  voyage  of 
discovery.  In  1873  he  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Norway,  his  father  being  appointed  to  the  living  of 
Etne,  Sondhordland,  and  subsequently,  in  1880,  to 
the  perpetual  curacy  of  Trinity  Church,  Christiania. 
Sigurd  was  educated  at  Gjertsen's  High  School, 
Christiania,  and  the  Royal  Naval  College  at  Horten. 


io6 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


He  joined  the  latter  institution  in  October,  1886, 
after  twenty-one  months'  service  afloat.  He  was 
appointed  second  lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Norwegian 
Navy  in  1889,  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  in  1892, 
and  during  his  brief  career  has  shown  a  remarkable 
aptitude  for  scientific  research.  He  is  of  small  build 
and  of  dark  complexion,  with  a  pair  of  blue,  sparkling 
eyes,  ever  bright  with  intelligence  and  good  nature. 

Dr.  Henrik  Grave  Blessing  was  physician  and  bot- 
anist to  the  Fram.  He  is  a  native  of  Drammen, 
where  he  was  born  on  the  29th  of  September,  1866, 
his  father  being  at  that  time  perpetual  curate  of 
Stromso  Church,  and  subsequently  vicar  of  Sunde, 
Telemarken.  Young  Henrik's  education  was  under- 
taken by  his  father  until  1879,  when  he  joined  the 
High  School  at  Stavanger.  In  1885  he  proceeded 
to  the  University  at  Christiania,  which  he  entered  as 
a  medical  student,  and,  after  passing  his  examinations, 
he  was  appointed  assistant  in  the  skin  diseases  depart- 
ment of  the  National  Hospital  in  the  capital.  He 
took  the  degree  of  M.D.  in  1893.  As  a  university 
student  he  made  a  special  study  of  botany,  and  subse- 
quently of  diseases  of  the  skin,  the  knowledge  of 
which  is  of  especial  value  in  the  Arctics,  where  the 
dread  disease  of  scurvy  often  breaks  out,  and  with 
fatal  effect.  From  youth  upwards  Dr.  Blessing 
devoted  all  spare  hours  to  skilobning,  and,  though  of 
short  build,  he  Is  remarkably  strong  and  healthy.  In 
bidding  Mr.  Herbert  Ward  good-bye  as  the  Fram 
left  the  Norwegian  capital,  Dr.  Blessing  said  : — "  This 
is  the  greatest  day  of  my  life.  The  world  is  all  before 
me  for  the  first  time.  ...  I  am  as  happy  as  I  can 
be.    Good-bye." 


(( 


WE  ARE  THIRTEEN  ALL  TOLD. 


107 


The  mate  of  the  Fram^  Theodor  Claudius  Jacobsen, 
was  bom  on  the  29th  of  March,  1855,  at  Tromso, 
where  he  was  educated  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when 
he  went  to  sea.  Three  years  afterwards,  having 
passed  the  examinations  of  the  School  of  Navigation, 
he  joined  the  merchant  service,  and  served  in  various 
ships — among  others,  the  English  ship,  Hawarden 
Castle,  which  he  left  in  New  Zealand.  There  he 
remained  for  two  years,  engaged  as  a  workman,  but 
not  liking  his  employment,  he  again  took  to  the  sea. 
He  first  proceeded  to  New  South  Wales,  thence  to 
San  Francisco,  and  joined  the  United  States  gunboat, 
Curwen.  In  1883  he  returned  home,  and  has  since 
been  chiefly  employed  in  Arctic  waters  and  sealing 
expeditions  as  master  of  vessels  belonging  to  the 
British  Vice-Consul  at  Hammerfest,  Mr.  George 
Robertson.  During  the  summers  of  1891  and  1892 
he  served  as  ice-master,  pilot,  and  harpooner  to 
H.R.H.  Prince  Henri  de  Bourbon  in  the  cutter, 
Fleur-de-lis,  and  the  steam  yacht  of  that  name.  On 
his  leaving  the  Prince's  service  the  latter  gave  him 
his  own  valuable  gold  watch  in  recognition  of  his  use- 
fulness and  trustworthiness  during  their  seal  hunting 
and  other  sporting  tours  in  Spitzbergen  and  Novaya 
Zemlya  waters.  Jacobsen  proceeded  on  this  expedi- 
tion (1893-96)  as  ice-master  and  chief  officer,  and  the 
principal  duties  of  navigation  when  among  the  ice- 
floes fell  on  his  experienced  shoulders.  His  task  was 
a  most  difficult  one,  but  the  safe  return  of  the  Fram 
shows  how  ably  he  seconded  Sverdrup  in  piloting  it 
through  such  dangerous  waters. 

Peder  Leonard  Hendriksen,  the  harpooner  of  the 
expedition,  is  a  native  of  Balsfjord,  near  Tromso. 


'Si 


ii 


i 


1 08 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


ii 


..{; 


From  early  life  he  was  engaged  in  the  fisheries,  until 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  proceeded  to  the  Arctic 
regions,  where  he  has  been  constantly  employed  as 
harpooner  in  walrus  and  seal  expeditions,  and  of  late 
years  as  master  of  a  sealer.  For  fourteen  summers 
he  was  constantly  engaged  in  hunting  the  seal, 
walrus,  and  whale,  and  at  times  the  polar  bear. 
How  many  of  these  creatures  have  fallen  by  his 
hand  it  would  be  difficult  to  say.  He  became 
renowned  as  the  best  hunter  in  the  fleet,  and  over 
fifty  polar  bears  have  fallen  to  his  gun.  He  is  a  tall, 
square-built  man  of  exceptional  physical  powers, 
which  have  often  been  severely  tested.  When  off 
Novaya  Zemlya,  in  1888,  the  schooner  Enigheden, 
of  Christiansund,  on  which  he  was  harpooner,  be- 
came a  total  wreck.  The  storm  continuing,  he  was 
compelled  to  remain  on  deck  for  several  days,  during 
which  he  was  literally  encased  in  ice.  He  at  last 
managed  to  crawl  ashore,  and,  report  says,  "was 
able  to  thaw  and  dry  his  clothes."  His  herculean 
strength  has  enabled  him  to  endure  all  hardships, 
and  he  entered  on  his  latest  voyage  with  an  iron 
constitution  and  strong  resolve.  His  harpoon  and 
gun  were  the  means  of  procuring  fresh  meat  for  the 
explorers,  which  did  much  to  keep  scurvy  at  bay. 
He  has  been  described  as  "  a  giant  in  stature,  with 
immense  broad  shoulders  and  a  jolly,  round  face." 
He  left  a  wife  and  four  children  at  home,  and  very 
warm  indeed  was  the  welcome  he  received  on  his 
return  to  Norway. 

Frederik  Hjalmar  Johansen  was  engaged  as  fire- 
man and  general  utility  man.  As  stoker,  sailor, 
hunter,  land  surveyor,  etc.,  he  acted  the  part  of  a 


"WE   ARE    THIRTEEN    ALL   TOLD." 


109 


h 

y 

is 


r, 
a 


veritable  jack-of-all-trades.  No  matter  the  task, 
Johansen  performed  it  well  and  good-humouredly, 
diffusing  good-fellowship  on  board  the  Fram,  which 
was,  in  the  dreary  Arctic  winter  months,  accounted 
a  blessing.  He  was  born  on  the  15th  of  May,  1867, 
at  Skien  (the  birthplace  of  Ibsen),  where  his  father 
was  keeper  of  the  Law  Courts,  and  where  he  himself 
was  first  educated.  In  1886  he  matriculated,  and 
in  the  following  year  passed  the  philosophical 
examination  at  the  University  of  Christiania.  He 
studied  jurisprudence,  and  on  his  father's  death 
returned  to  Skien,  filling  the  vacancy  in  the  Courts 
for  a  year,  after  which  he  entered  the  High  Sheriffs' 
and  Police  office  in  the  same  town.  Johansen  has 
also  passed  the  University  College,  and  is  a  reserve 
lieutenant  in  the  Norwegian  Army.  He  has  devoted 
much  time  to  athletics,  and  is  known  throughout 
Norway  and  France  as  the  winner  ot  several  medals 
for  gymnastics.  In  Pdis,  competing  in  a  celebrated 
gymnasia,  he  made  a  clean  somersault  over  forty-two 
men,  and  alighted  on  his  feet  as  right  as  possible,  for 
which  remarkable  feat  he  was  presented  with  a  gold 
medal.  He  also  holds  gold  and  silver  medals  for 
skilobning  and  marksmanship.  He  is  a  good- 
tempered,  handsome,  muscular  man,  whose  place  in 
Hansen's  estimation  is  proved  by  his  being  chosen 
as  the  leader's  sole  companion  on  the  now  famous 
sledging  journey  taken  on  leaving  their  Arctic  home 
to  reach  the  *'  ^"-"♦^^hest  north." 

Ivar  Otto  Irgens  Mogstad  was  the  carpenter,  and 
hails  from  Aure,  Nordmore,  where  he  was  born  on 
the  7th  of  June,  1856.  He  passed  an  examination 
with    honours    in    Forestry,  and    from    1882    until 


H 


no 


FRIDTJGF   NANSEN. 


embarking  on  the  Fram,  was  head-keeper  at  the 
Ganstad  Asylum.  He  became  quite  an  expert  with 
the  rifle,  and  when  only  sixteen,  shot  his  first  bear. 
In  1 88 1  he  went  as  "huntsman"  to  Spitzbergen. 
He  is  a  most  intelligent  mechanic,  and  has  devoted 
much  time  to  patents.  When  but  a  youth  he  took 
out  a  patent  for  a  time-machine,  a  device  for  register- 
ing the  days  of  the  year.  Later,  he  invented  a 
mechanical  potato-digger ;  but  his  most  useful  patent 
is  the  tourist's  boat,  a  craft  so  constructed  of  sail- 
cloth that  it  can  be  folded  up  and  carried  under 
one's  arm. 

His  employers  give  him  most  excellent  testi- 
monials. He  is  quick-witted,  fearless,  and  full  of 
resource,  just  the  man  for  emergencies.  He  is, 
besides,  a  splendid  violinist,  and  in  that  direction 
alone  was  invaluable  to  his  companions  during  their 
voluntary  but  ofttimes  monotonous  exile. 

Bernhard  Nordahl  was  the  electrical  assistant  and 
fireman.  He  was  born  in  Christiania  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1862.  When  fourteen  years  old  he  joined 
the  naval  service  as  ship's  boy,  and  advanced  to  the 
rank  of  constable.  Then  he  went  to  America  and 
worked  in  a  mechanical  factory  for  a  year.  In  1886 
he  got  employment  in  the  Norwegian  Electrical 
Bureau,  where  he  remained  for  six  years.  Latterly 
he  was  foreman  of  Hezerdahl  &  Co.'s  electrical 
department.  Nordahl  is  an  enthusiastic  athlete,  and 
is  a  noted  gymnast  and  skilober,  and  his  face  tells 
you  that  he  is  beaming  over  with  good  health.  He 
left  a  wife  and  five  children  behind.  Like  Johansen, 
he  adapted  himself  to  all  tasks,  and  Ncniacn  found  in 
him  a  man  on  whom  he  could  place  the  utmost  reliance. 


i\ 


"WE  ARE  THIRTEEN   ALL  TOLD." 


Ill 


The  chief  engineer  on  board  the  Fram  was  Anton 
Amundsen.  He  was  born  at  Horten  in  1854,  where 
he  was  educated,  ur  '1  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  joined 
the  Naval  MechanicJ.  Engineering  Works  as  appren- 
tice, and  as  such,  served  with  Corvette  Nornen  and 
the  Monitor  Mjolner.  In  1872  he  served  as  fireman 
and  stoker  in  the  Navy,  and  in  1874  joined  the 
Technical  School,  and  obtained  his  certificate  as 
engineer  in  the  following  year.  Since  that  time  he 
has  served  in  the  various  .grades  of  engineer  on  board 
numerous  gun-vessels  and  torpedo-boats,  full  as  they 
are  of  intricate  machinery,  until  1891,  when  he  was 
promoted  to  the  situation  of  chief  engineer.  In  the 
winter  of  1892-93  he  passed  through  the  Naval 
Engineering  College,  and  quitted  the  naval  service 
"  on  leave  "  to  take  part  in  Nansen's  Arctic  Expedition. 
He  is  specially  adapted  for  the  important  position  he 
had  to  fill  on  board  the  Fram,  and  plenty  of  employ- 
ment, scientific  and  otherwise,  was  found  for  him 
apart  from  that  in  the  engine-room.  His  wife  and 
five  children  awaited  his  return  in  fear  and  trembling 
through  the  dreary  three  years'  absence,  and  as  hope 
became  dim,  the  telegram  announcing  the  Franis 
return  and  her  crew's  safety  brought  overwhelming 
joy  to  their  hearts. 

The  second  engineer  was  Lars  Pettersen,  whose 
birth  took  place  at  Lund,  Sweden,  of  Norwegian 
parents,  in  May,  i860.  He  was  educated  at  Lund 
until  1875,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  smith  at 
Malmo,  subsequently  joining  the  engineering  works 
and  locomotive  factory  at  Trolhoetta.  After  serving 
there  and  on  the  Swedish  State  railways  for  some 
years,  he  came  to  Norway,  and  joined  the  sealing  ship 


I 


112 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


i. 


Herta,  of  Sandefjord,  proceeding  with  her  to  the 
Arctic  regions,  north  of  Jan  Mayen  in  ^f  N.  Since 
1888  Pettersen  has  been  employed  in  the  torpedo 
department  of  the  Naval  Arsenal  at  Horten.  Voyag- 
ing to  the  Arctic  agreed  with  him  so  well  that  he 
longed  and  longed  to  go  there  again,  and  great  was 
his  joy  on  becoming  engaged  as  engineer  to  the 
Frain ;  and  meanwhile  his  situation  at  Horten  was 
left  open  for  him.  He  is  a  married  man,  and  left  a 
wife  and  two  children  at  home. 

The  victualling  manager  was  Adolf  Juell.  His 
position  would  have  been  an  extremely  delicate  one 
had  provisions  run  short  on  board  the  Fram. 
Fortunately  they  returned  to  Norway  with  still  three 
years'  provisions  left,  which  they  disposed  of  by 
auction  later  on — mementoes  of  this  unparalleled 
journey.  A  stouter  type  of  an  Easterling  than  Adolf 
Juell  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.  He  has  beautiful 
blue  eyes,  an  open  countenance,  and  a  moustache 
whinh  any  military  officer  would  be  proud  of.  He  is 
well-built  and  of  a  lively  disposition — and  such  a 
talker !  With  his  ready  wit  and  good  spirits,  he  had 
all  the  conditions  requisite  to  faithfully  fill  his  position 
as  purser  and  steward  on  the  Fram.  He  smilingly 
remarked  previous  to  sailing  that  he  had  got  the 
hottest  job  on  board.  He  was  born  on  the  26th  of 
December,  i860,  at  the  Farm,  Braato,  near  Kragero, 
and  is  the  son  of  Claus  Neilsen,  shipowner  and  ship- 
builder. He  was  instructed  at  home  by  a  tutor,  and 
joined  the  merchant  service  in  1876.  After  gaining 
a  mate's  certificate,  he  joined  the  United  States 
merchant  service,  and  served  for  some  time  on  the 
lakes.     In  the  autumn  of  1880  he  joined  the  Chicago 


WE  ARE  THIRTEEN   ALL  TOLD. 


113 


Small-pox  Hospital,  where  he  rendered  valuable 
service  during  the  dreadful  epidemic  of  1880-81. 
Going  to  sea  again,  he  joined  the  l^ritish  steamer, 
AIvcna,o{  the  Atlas  Line,  as  third  mate.  In  1885 
he  obtained  command  of  a  .ship  at  Stockholm,  which 
he  resigned,  after  two  years,  to  manage  his  mother's 
estate  and  business  at  Kragero.  He  cancelled  the 
name  Neilsen,  and  adopted  thiit  of  Juell  on  obtaining 
his  certificate  as  master.  He  left  a  wife  and  four 
children,  who  welcomed  him  back  in  the  best  of  health 
and  spirits  —  none  the  worse  for  his  three  years' 
Arctic  service. 

Last  on  the  list,  and  the  last  to  join  the  Fravi, 
comes  a  thoroughly  typical  Norwegian  sailor,  Bcrnt 
Bentsen,  a  native  of  Tromso,  who  was  to  keep  the 
Frames  decks  in  good  order,  and  take  his  spell  at  the 
"wheel."  He  has  had  varied  experiences — plenty  of 
ups  and  downs,  which  have  made  him  a  man  of  ready 
resource  in  moments  of  danger.  He  joined  the  Frain 
at  the  last  moment,  intending  only  to  go  as  far  as 
Khabarova,  but  was  there  hired  as  the  thirteenth  of 
the  expedition.  He  is  a  man  in  his  best  years,  a 
strong  and  active  sailor,  with  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  caprices  of  the  northern  seas,  and  a  very 
amiable  comrade. 

From  a  picked  crew  such  as  this — truly  a  "  band  of 
brothers" — and  under  such  a  lea'^er,  much  might  be 
hoped  ;  nor  is  it  a  matter  for  surprise  that  the  resulln 
achieved  have  even  bettered  expectation. 


U 


CHRISTIANIA. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


THE    DEPARTURE. 


1  . 

yjji: 

OF  a  deeply  sanguine  temperament  is  Norway's 
celebrated  traveller,  Dr.  Nansen,  who  at  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock  on  the  24th  of  June,  1893, 
set  off  to  find  the  North  Pole.  This  task, 
which  has  baffled  the  most  courageous  explorers,  he, 
at  the  time  of  starting  on  his  difficult  mission, 
expected  to  accomplish  in  three  years ;  but  at  the 
same  time  told  his  friends  and  well-wishers  not  to 
be  anxious  concerning  his  welfare  if  he  did  not 
return  within  twice  that  period. 

As  Nansen  left  Christiania,  Dr.  John  Murray,  the 
well-known  authority  on  Arctic  and  Antarctic  explora- 
tion, bade  him  good-bye,  and  said  : — "  I  expect  within 
two  years  to  welcome  you  on  your  return  from  the 
Arctic  ; "  but  he  expressed  some  doubt  if  he  should 
again  see  the  Fram.  "  1  think  you  are  wrong,"  was 
Nansen's  reply.  "  I  believe  you  will  welcome  me  on 
this  very  deck,  and,  after  my  return  from  the  Arctic, 
114 


THE  DEPARTURE. 


"5 


I  will  go  to  the  South  Pole,  and  then  my  life's  work 
will  be  finished."  To  another  enthusiast  he  ex- 
claimed : — "  Ah !  they  say  we  will  never  come  back. 
They  say  I  am  a  dreamer,  and  that  I  shall  fail. 
Well,  we  shall  see.  I  can  say  nothing  in  answer  to 
them.  I  would  only  ask  people  to  give  me  time. 
Nothing  has  surprised  me  more  than  the  interest  and 
sympathy  that  have  been  shown  to  my  expedition  by 
English  people."  We  feel  that  this  is  the  spirit  which 
deserves  and  is  most  likely  to  command  success. 

Dr.    Nansen,   on    the    morning   of   his;   departure, 
telegraphed  to  the  Times  as  follows  : — 

\To  the  Editor  of  the  Times.] 
"Sir,— We  are  just  about  to  sail.  Please  grant 
me  the  opportunity  of  publicly  expressing  our  warm 
appreciation  for  all  the  generous  sympathy  which 
English  people  have  displayed  towards  our  expedi- 
tion.— Yours  faithfully, 

"Fridtjof  Nansen. 

"Christiania, 

"  24///  June,  10.50  A.M." 

From  the  King  and  Queen  of  Norway  and 
Sweden,  Nansen  received  the  following  telegram  at 
the  hour  of  sailing  : — 

"  Pray  receive,  at  the  moment  of  your  departure, 
the  Queen's  and  my  own  most  sincere  wishes  for  luck 
on  the  voyage,  which,  if  the  result  turns  out  as  we 
hope,  will  be  a  unique  feat,  and  in  any  case  will 
show  Norwegian  men's  courage.  Our  best  wishes 
to  all  on  board." 

To  this  Nansen  replied  :— **  All  of  the  expedition 
send  your  Majesties  their  most  humble   thanks   as 


ii6 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


;   i  ! 


they  depart  for  their   polar   voyage,  determined  on 
doing  their  utmost  for  its  success." 

The  departure   is  so   well   told  by  an  eye-witness 
that   I   cannot   refrain   from  quoting  his    description 
of  what  was  truly  a   red-letter    day   ir    the    history 
of    Norway    and    of    the    world  : — "  The    day    was 
characterised  by  a  cloudy  sky,  with   cold   wind  and 
drizzling  rain — a  sudden  but  very  welcome  contrast 
to  the  tropical  heat  and  drought  which  have  existed 
here    for    many    weeks    past.      At    an    early   hour 
several   members  of  Dr.  Nansen's  crew,  all  looking 
remarkably  fresh   and   cheerful,  rowed   off  to   their 
ship,  the  Frain,  which  lay  at  anchor  in  a  little  bay 
of  the  fjord,  alongside  an  old  barque-rigged  training 
ship,  within   200  feet  of  the  shore.     Between  seven 
and   eight   o'clock   the    bay   became   crowded    with 
ferry   steamers    conveying    passengers    to    business. 
Each  steamer  in  succession,  in  drawing  near  to  the 
Frarn,    slowed     down  ;     hats    and    umbrellas    were 
waved,   and  volleys   of    hearty   cheers   greeted    the 
crew,   who   were   all   steadily   at    Vvork   in   different 
parts   of   the    ship    coiling   ropes   and   clearing    the 
running  gear.     Towards  eleven  o'clock,  the  published 
hour   of  departure,   all    was   in    readiness,   but    Dr. 
Nansen  had  not  yet  arrived.     The  Arctic  ship  was 
now  surrounded  by  a  host  of  small  boats  of  every 
description — kayak   canoes,   and    shoe-shaped    craft, 
miniature  gondolas,  racing  skiffs,  naval  gigs,  yachts* 
dinghys,    and    steam    launches  ;    all    more    or    less 
decorated  with  bunting  and  with  branches  of  silver 
birch.      Upon  the  quay,  and  by  the   shore,  several 
thousand    spectators   had    gathered    to    witness    the 
sailing  of  the  expedition.      It  was  evident,  by  their 


!.i    S|if|(i 


;  I 


THE   DEPARTURE. 


117 


earnest  attention,  that  no  sluggish  indifference 
clouded  their  imagination.  As  they  gazed  intently 
at  the  bluff,  broad  -  beamed  Fram,  it  appeared  as 
though  a  thousand  varied  pictures  of  the  vessel's 
aspect  in  the  barren  ice-field  a  few  months  hence,  and 
of  the  thirteen  venturesome  Northmen,  toiling  and 
enduring,  passed  before  their  eyes.  As  the  time 
passed,  and  the  city  clocks  struck  the  hour  of  noon, 
and  there  was  still  no  sign  of  Dr.  Nansen,  the 
murmuring  crowd  of  spectators  became  silent.  I* 
was  clearly  evident  that  their  hearts  were  in 
sympathy  with  the  actors  of  an  invisible  scene, 
wherein  the  bitter  pangs  of  parting  with  wife  and 
babe  formed  the  pathetic  theme. 

"  Suddenly  all  eyes  were  directed  towards  a  tiny 
petroleum  launch  which  came  speeding  towards  the 
Fram.  There  were  two  occupants  ;  in  the  bow  stood 
a  sailor, boat-hook  in  hand ;  in  the  stern  sat  Dr.  Nansen. 
A  few  moments  later,  when  the  launch  dashed  along- 
side the  Fram,  and  Dr.  Nansen,  looking  haggard  and 
half  dazed,  climbed  upon  his  vessel,  there  was  a  dead 
silence  among  the  spectators  ;  no  voice  was  raised 
to  greet  or  cheer  him.  A  more  impressive  tribute 
than  this  sympathetic  silence  could  not  have  been 
rendered. 

"  A  few  minutes  after  Dr.  Nansen's  arrival  on  board, 
the  anchor  ^—is  weighed,  and  the  Fram  actually  started 
upon  her  voyage,  followed  by  several  yachts  and 
steam  launches  bearing  numbers  of  Dr.  Nansen's 
friends,  who  were  anxious  to  accompany  the  expedi- 
tion upon  the  first  few  miles  of  the  journey.  As  the 
Fram  steamed  slowly  down  the  fjord,  three  gun 
salutes  were  fired  from  the  various  batteries,  all  of 


ii8 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


!:!;• 


which  were  promptly  acknowledged  by  the  defiant 
barking  of  Dr.  Nansen's  favourite  sledge  dog.  Half 
an  hour's  slow  steaming  down  the  fjord  brought  the 
Fram  abreast  of  Dr.  Nansen's  home  at  Lysaker  ;  and 
here,  for  the  first  time,  the  sun  beamed  through  a 
rift  in  the  dark  rain  clouds,  and  shone  radiantly  upon 
the  distant  shore,  revealmg  the  figure  of  Mrs.  Nansen, 
clad  in  white,  standing  upon  the  rocks  by  the  water 
side. 

"  Almost  immediately  after  passing  Lysaker  the 
rain  commenced  to  fall  in  torrents,  and,  in  fact,  it 
continued  to  pour  during  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
When  about  five-and-twenty  miles  from  Christiania, 
most  of  the  steam  launches  took  leave  of  the  Fratriy 
amid  a  storm  of  hearty  cheers  and  shrill  steam- 
whistles."* 

A  course  was  set  for  Laurvik,  where  the  ship 
arrived  on  Sunday  evening,  and  after  taking  on  board 
the  two  large  covered  boats  to  be  used  in  case  of 
disaster  to  the  Fram^  resumed  her  voyage.  The  next 
port  touched  at  was  Bergen,  at  which  place  the  doctor 
had  many  friends. 

Nansen  wrote  anent  the  departure  : — "  On  the 
24th  of  June  we  started  on  our  expedition  from 
Christiania,  and  sailed  northward  along  the  beautiful 
Norwegian  coast.  Everywhere  people  came  from  the 
most  distant  places  in  order  to  see  the  strange  ship 
and  her  crew.  Whenever  we  stopped  in  some  little 
place  the  deck  was  at  once  crowded  with  people  who 
wanted  to  see  everything." 

Off  Melo,  in   longitude    13°  20'  E.,  and   latitude 


*  l^he  Illustrated  London  News^  8th  July,  1893. 


THE  DEPARTURE. 


119 


66"  \Z\  the  Fram  was  sighted  by  the  s.s.  Rollo,  of 
the  Wilson  line,  which  carried  a  contingent  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  passengers  on  a  trip  to  the  North 
Cape.  As  the  Rollo  got  even  with  the  Fram,  rockets 
were  fired  off",  and  the  foghorn  blown,  while  the  pas- 
sengers from  all  parts  of  the  ship  again  and  again 
cheered  lustily.  This  had  the  effect  of  bringing 
Dr.  Nansen  from  below  on  to  the  deck,  and  then  to 
the  bridge  of  his  ship,  where  he  returned  those  kindly 
salutes  by  raising  his  hat,  and  afterwards  by  firing 
two  shots.  He  seemed  much  gratified  by  this  hearty 
farewell,  the  last  he  received,  from  English  "  lands- 
men." 

On  the  2 1st  of  July  the  Fram  left  Vardo,  their 
last  harbour  in  Norway,  and  sailed  eastward  across 
the  Barentz  Sea.    Nansen  himself  wrote  to  The  Strand 
Magazine  : — "  We  are  now  (as  I  write  this)  steering 
eastward   across   the   sea   from    Norway  to  Novaya 
Zemlya,  through  fog,  and  against  the  wind.     Yester- 
day we  had  a  short,  sunny  glimpse  of  Goose  Land  on 
Novaya  Zemlya,  and  were  just  steering  in  there  when 
the  fog  came  again  and  shut  us  out  from  the  world 
around  us.      We  were  obliged  to  steer  out  to  sea 
again,  and  make  for  Yugor  Strait,  the  most  southern 
strait   which   separates    Novaya    Zemlya,   or   rather 
Waigats,  the  most  southern   Island,  from  the  Con- 
tinent.     Here   we   expect   to   meet   a  small   vessel, 
which  I  have  sent  from  Norway,  with  fifty  tons  of 
coals.     At  Khabarova,  in  Yugor  Strait,  a  Russian, 
Trontheim,  is  also  waiting  us,  with  more  than  thirty 
sledge  dogs.      He   had   to  travel   from   Tiumen,  in 
Siberia,  last  winter  to  the  Ostjaks  to  buy  these  dogs, 
and  had  then  to  travel  the  long  way  from  Siberia, 


'.( 


120 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


I 


t 


through  the  north  of  Russia  to  Pechora,  and  from 
there  he  travelled  with  the  dogs  to  Yugor  Strait  in 
company  with  the  Samoyedes,  who  go  north  in  the 
spring.  I  hope  we  shall  find  the  dogs  in  good  con- 
dition, as  well  as  Trontheim  himself,  who  will  possibly 
accompany  us  on  the  expedition. 

"  When  we  have  got  our  dogs  and  coal,  and  if  the 
Strait  and  the  Kara  Sea  are  open,  we  shall  make  our 
way  eastward  along  the  Asiatic  coast  as  quickly  as 
possible.  The  first  part  of  the  way  through  the  Kara 
Sea  will  perhaps  be  the  worst,  as  the  ice  is  often  very 
bad  there.  More  easterly  the  water  running  out  from 
the  rivers  generally  forces  the  ice  a  little  from  the 
coast,  leaving  an  open  passage  along  the  shore.  We 
shall  have  to  pass  Cape  Chelyuskin,  the  most  northern 
point  of  the  Continent,  which  has  only  once  before 
been  passed  by  any  vessel — viz.,  the  V^^a,  on  Nor- 
denskiold's  famous  expedition.  If  we  still  find  open 
water,  we  shall  go  on  eastward  along  the  coast  until 
we  reach  the  mouth  of  the  Olenek  River,  to  the  east 
of  the  Lena  Delta.  If  we  have  time,  I  shall  go  in 
there  to  take  twenty-six  sledge  dogs  which  are  wait- 
ing for  us.  The  reason  why  I  want  to  get  dogs 
there  also  is  that  the  dogs  from  East  Siberia  are 
stronger  and  better  than  the  West  Siberian  ones  ; 
therefore  Baron  Toll,  whc  is  now  travelling  in  Siberia, 
proposed  this,  and  has  now  kindly  arranged  this  depot 
for  me  ;  it  is  he  also  who  arranged  with  Trontheim 
about  these  other  dogs.  If  we  get  too  many  dogs, 
it  is  of  course  easy  to  pick  out  the  best  ones  of 
the  whole  lot."* 


*  The  Strand  Magazine,  December,  1893. 


THE   DEPARTURE. 


121 


Later,  Nansen  sent  a  telegram  to  the  Times  from 
Novaya  Zemlya,  which  contained  more  definite  infor- 
mation : — "  The  passage  from  Norway  to  Novaya 
Zemlya  was  good,  except  for  wind  and  fog.  Goose 
Land  in  Novaya  Zemlya  was  sighted  in  the  fog  on 
July  25th,  and  the  vessel  turned  south,  meeting 
the  first  ice  on  the  27th,  in  latitude  69°  50'  N.,  longi- 
tude 50°  E.,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Kolguef  Island. 
We  forced  our  way  through,  the  Fram  proving  a 
splendid  ship  in  the  ice,  and  arrived  at  Yugor  Strait, 
a  distance  of  250  miles  from  the  point  where  the  ice 
was  encountered,  on  July  29th.  The  vessel  sent 
out  with  coal  has  not  arrived,  but  we  have  sufficient 
coal,  and  we  sail  into  the  Kara  Sea  to-night.  We 
have  got  thirty-four  splendid  sledge  dogs  from  Siberia 
on  board.  The  Yugor  Strait  has  been  open  since 
July  3rd,  and  there  seems  to  be  little  ice  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Kara  Sea,  a  favourable  wind 
having  carried  it  northward.  I  consider  our  prospects 
very  favourable,  and  we  shall  make  our  way  eastward 
most  rapidly  along  the  coast.  Unless  the  ice  prove 
unfavourable,  we  hope  to  reach  the  New  Siberian 
Islands  before  the  end  of  August,  and  if  this  should 
be  accomplished,  I  look  on  our  success  as  almost  cer- 
tain. If  there  is  time,  we  shall  call  at  the  Olenek 
River,  and  probably  be  able  to  send  news  from  there. 
— Nansen." 

He  arrived  at  Khabarova,  on  the  Kara  Sea,  as  we 
have  seen,  on  the  29th  of  July,  and  stayed  there  until 
the  3rd  of  August.  In  the  interval  he  employed  his 
time  in  completing  the  outfit  and  in  observing  the 
conditions  of  the  ice. 

Nansen  had  a  struggle  to  get  through  the  Kara  Sea, 


122 


FRIDTJOF   NANST:N. 


which  had  much  ice  in  it.  The  ship,  according  to 
reports  received  from  the  Samoyedes,  was  twice  driven 
back  by  the  enormous  weight  of  ice  in  the  sea,  but 
when  last  seen  it  was  steaming  full  speed  ahead  into 
the  great  unknown. 


UEI'AKTl/'KE   Ul     THE   "  FKAM,"    24TH    JUNE,    1893. 


;ii> 


ii31 


CHAPTER  X. 


THREE   YEARS    SILENCE. 


IN  a  letter  to  his  brother,  Alexander,  dated  the 
17th  of  July,  1893,  Dr.  Nansen  acknowledged 
freely  his  inability  to  state  the  time  required  to 
effect  his  purpose.  "  I  certainly  do  not  know 
how  long  I  may  be  absent,"  he  writes,  "  but,  candidly 
speaking,  I  do  not  consider  that  there  is  any  chance 
of  our  returning  home  in  two  years,  provided  we  do 
not  return  this  coming  autumn  on  account  of  the 
unfavourable  ice  conditions.  I  do  not  think  that 
we,  in  any  case,  will  get  home  in  less  than  three 
years,  possibly  four  years  may  pass,  or  even  five, 
but  you  may  depend  upon  it  that  return  we  will ; 
of  this  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  for  no 
expedition  has  ever  been  fitted  out  as  ours.  There 
is,  certainly,  a  possibility  that  we  will  not  reach  the 
islands  of  New  Siberia  this  year,  but  pass  the  winter 
at  some  spot  on  the  coast  of  Asia,  in  which  case  an 
entire  year  will  be  lost,  besides  which  it  is  not  easy  to 

12) 


124 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


41 

1  I 
11 


i  i 


4^: 


calculate  the  length  of  time  the  drift  will  occupy,  but 
that  in  itself  will  take  at  least  two  years,  of  that  I  am 
certain." 

The  last  letter  sent  home  was  dated  the  3rd 
of  August,  and  Nansen's  first  anxiety  was  to  get 
through  the  ice-laden  Kara  Sea  and  round  the 
dreaded  Cape  of  Chelyuskin,  the  northernmost 
point  of  Asia,  and  which  had  but  once  before 
been  passed  by  the  celebrated  Arctic  voyager,  Baron 
Nordenskiold,  on  his  famous  journey  through  the 
north-east  passage. 

The  following  statement  was  made  to  a  representa- 
tive of  Reuter's  Agency  on  the  29th  of  December, 
1893,  t)y  Dr.  John  Murray,  in  regard  to  the  pro- 
bable position  of  the  Fram  and  her  crew.  He 
said  : — "  In  all  probability  we  shall  not  hear  any  more 
of  Nansen  for  a  long  time  to  come.  The  last  news 
from  him  clearly  indicates  that  he  was  able  to  push 
his  way  through  the  Kara  Sea  early  in  August.  By 
the  time  he  arrived  in  the  Nordenskiold  Sea  he  most 
probably  found  the  dogs  an  intolerable  nuisance  on 
board  his  small  ship,  and  very  likely  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  that  they  would  be  of  little  use  to  him 
except  in  the  improbable  event  of  him  finding  a  large 
stretch  of  land  towards  the  North  Pole.  Supposing 
the  expedition  to  be  all  v.ell  off  Cape  Chelyuskin, 
there  seems  no  reason  why  it  should  go  south  to 
Olenek.  Nansen  had  no  intention  of  going  as  far 
cast  as  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  supposing  an 
opportunity  offered  of  penetrating  the  ice  to  the 
north-east  of  Cape  Chelyuskin,  and  all  reports  tell  of 
open  water  in  this  direction  during  the  past  season. 
The  chances  are  that  he  is  now  fixed  in  the  ice  some- 


f 


THREE   years'   SILENCE. 


125 


! 


where  between  the  longitudes  120°  and  130°  E.,  and 
latitudes  yS"  and  80°  N.  If  so,  he  is  then  in  the 
most  favourable  position  for  progress  next  summer. 
During  the  winter  it  is  not  likely  that  any  great 
adva.ice  will  be  made,  but  in  the  spring  and 
summer  months  it  is  believed  that  the  drainage 
from  the  Siberian  rivers,  and  the  wind  pressure  on 
the  surface  of  the  ice-floes,  combine  to  set  the 
currents  and  ice  from  opposite  the  mouths  of  the 
Lena  across  the  Pole  and  down  into  the  Norwegian 
Sea  between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland.  If  the 
Fra7n  is  carried  through  the  polar  basin  without 
being  crushed  among  the  ice-floes  she  will  have  an 
extraordinary  run  of  good  luck.  It  is  possible,  but 
not  probable,  for  I  have  no  great  faith  in  her  being 
lifted  upon  the  ice,  should  she  come  in  for  a  'nip.' 
But,  supposing  the  vessel  be  crushed,  Nansen's 
expedition  is  not  at  an  end.  In  all  probability  he 
v/ill  be  able  to  save  his  boats,  transfer  his  stores 
to  the  ice-floes,  and  there  construct  comfortable 
quarters.  Should  his  supplies  fall  short,  he  will 
always  be  able  to  fish  up  from  underneath  the  ice 
plenty  of  food  in  the  form  of  minute  crustaceans,  by 
means  of  two  nets  let  down  through  holes  in  the  ice. 
Once,  when  frozen  in  between  Spitzbergen  and 
Greenland,  I  procured  enormous  numbers  of  animals 
in  this  way,  which  made  an  excellent  soup.  I  pre- 
sented the  Nansen  expedition  with  a  large  number 
of  silk  nets  for  this  purpose.  Nansen  may  be  five  or 
many  more  years  in  passing  across  the  Arctic  basin ; 
he  may  fail  altogether,  but  I  shall  be  disappointed  if 
he  be  not  heard  of  to  the  north  of  Spitzbergen  during 
the  summer  after  next." 


Ir 


■^TP 


126 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


,■:■•    t 


•I  I 
'11 


In  the  beginning  of  1895,  feeling  anxious  about  the 
Nansen  expedition,  I  -vvrote  to  this  great  oceano- 
grapher  on  the  probable  whereabouts  of  Dr.  Nansen, 
and  in  answer  that  renowned  expen  sent  the  follow- 
ing most  interesting  reply,  under  date  of  the  28th 
of  February,  1895  : — 

"  From  all  I  know  of  the  physical  conditions  of  the 
north  polar  basin  and  of  Nansen's  intentions,  I  should 
think  the  probabilities  are  all  in  favour  of  the  view 
that  he  is  at  the  present  time  comfortably  housed  on 
board  the  Fram,  or  on  ice-floes,  somewhere  within 
100  miles  of  the  Pole.  He  may  possibly  be  heard  of 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  coming  summer ;  it  is 
more  probable  that  nothing  will  be  heard  of  him  till 
the  summer  of  1896.  Should  nothing  be  heard  of 
him  by  the  close  of  the  year  1897,  I  might  then,  but 
not  i'W  then,  entertain  the  idea  that  some  disaster 
may  have  overtaken  the  expedition. — Yours  truly, 

"(Signed)        John  Murray." 

Hardly  a  month  of  1895  passed  without  rumours 
of  success  or  failure  being  bruited  about. 

First,  considerable  excitement  was  caused  in  March 
by  the  report  that  a  b  ''oon  from  Nansen  was  sighted, 
travelling  in  a  south-easterly  direction,  near  Langfjord, 
in  the  north  of  Norway.  But  this  balloon  was  entirely 
a  "  mystery." 

Next  came  the  rumour  from  the  Paris  Figaro^  on 
the  15th  of  April,  1895.  It  appeared  as  follows  in 
most  of  our  English  newspapers  : — 


REPORTED  DISCOVERY  OF  THE   NORTH   POLE. 

"The  Paris   Figaro  publishes  a  rumour  that  Dr. 
Nansen  has  succeeded  in  his  search  for  the  North 


THREE   YEARS'   SILENCE. 


127 


Pole.  It  is  stated  that  he  discovered  that  the  Pole  is 
situated  in  a  chain  of  mountains,  and  that  he  planted 
the  Norwei^ian  flag  there  to  mark  the  spot.  The 
temperature  was  two  degrees  above  zero  centigrade. 
These  statements,  it  is  added,  are  confirmed  in  a 
despatch  received  by  the  Crown  Prince  of  Norway 
and  Sweden." 

Though  on  the  face  of  it  a  canard,  yet  this  rumour 
caused  much  popular  excitement  and  discussion  for  a 
short  period'. 

The  first  seriously  considered  report  came  from  the 
east  of  Greenland  in  July,  1895,  and  appeared  in  the 
European  Press  as  follows : — 

"  The  steam  sealer  Hertha,  of  Sandefjord,  Norway, 
arrived  home  on  the  17th  August,  from  the  Danish 
colonial  port,  Angmansalik,  in  east  Greenland,  which 
she  left  three  weeks  previously,  and  her  master 
reports  that  the  director  there  informed  him  of  the 
Eskimo  having  seen  a  three-masted  vessel,  with  a 
short  or  broken  foremast,  drifting  in  the  ice  on  two 
different  occasions.  She  was  first  observed  towards 
the  close  of  July  last  (1895)  by  a  party  of  natives 
some  thirty  miles  off  the  Sermiligak  Fjord  in  latitude 
65°  45'  N.,  longitude  36°  15'  W.,  and  subsequently  by 
other  Greenlanders  off  Sermilik  in  latitude  65°  20'  N., 
longitude  38°  W.  No  smoke  or  signs  of  life  could  be 
observed.  A  report  of  this  nature  has  naturally 
caused  great  excitement  in  Norway,  the  general 
belief  being  that  it  must  be  the  Fram  with  or  without 
the  expedition  on  board." 

From  this  date  until  the  13th  of  February,  1896, 
the  Press  allowed  the  subject  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
Nansen  to  rest. 


128 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


Suddenly,  the  appearance  of  a  telegran?.  reporting 
that  Nansen  was  sighted  in  the  vicinity  of  the  New 
Siberian  Islands,  on  his  return  from  the  Pole,  caused 
the  most  intense  excitement  throughout  the  civilised 
world.  The  startling  rumour,  emanating  from  an 
obscure  Russian  source,  was  at  first  received  in  all 
good  faith  ;  but  as  each  successive  day  passed  without 
bringing  further  news  or  confirmation,  the  truth  in 
the  report  here  given  {Tiines^  14th  February,  1896) 
became  relatively  less. 


liirt 


Dr.  Nansen  and  the  North  Pole. 

"St  Petersburg,  February,  13th. 
"A  telegram  from  Irkutsk  states  that  a  Siberian 
trader  named  KuchnarefT,  who  has  acted  as  agent  for 
Dr.  Nansen  in  Siberia,  has  informed  the  Prefect  of 
Kolimsk  (northern  Siberia^  that  he  has  received 
intelligence  that  Dr.  Nansen  has  reached  the  North 
Pole,  that  he  has  found  land  in  that  region,  and  that 
he  is  now  on  his  way  back. 

"  Later. 

"The  report  that  Dr.  Nansen  had  reached  the 
North  Pole  was  received  by  the  Oriental  Review  at 
Irkutsk  from  the  trader  Kuchnarefif  through  M. 
Kandakoff,  a  police  official  of  Kolimsk,  who  was 
a  member  of  M.  Sibiriakofif's  expedition.  The  intelli- 
gence was  sent  by  letter  to  Yakutsk  and  thence  to 
Kirensk.  It  was  then  forwarded  by  telegraph.  A 
more  complete  account  has  just  been  received  from 
Irkutsk,  according  to  which  it  appears  that  the  news 
originally  came  from  Ust  Yansk,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yana. — Renter. 


THREE  YEARS    SILENCE. 


129 


"  Christiania,  February  1 3th. 

"  The  geographical  authorities  here  do  not  consider 
the  news  received  from  Iikutsk  that  Dr.  Nansen  had 
reached  the  North  Pole  improbable,  for  the  reason 
that  if  the  explorer  is  really  on  his  way  home, 
Kolimsk  would  probably  be  the  first  station  reached. 
The  relatives  of  Dr.  Fridtjof  Nansen  have  requested 
the  Norwegian  News  Agency  to  state  that  they 
attach  no  credence  to  the  Irkutsk  telegram  announc- 
ing Dr.  Nansen's  discovery  of  the  North  Pole. — 
Renter. 

"  Lloyd's  agent  at  Bergen  telegraphed  yesterday 
evening  as  follows : — *  St.  Petersburg  wires  Dr.  Nansen 
reached  North  Pole,  found  land,  now  returning.* " 

The  first  true  news  announcing  the  return  of  Dr. 
Nansen  and  Lieutenant  Johansen  was  received  in 
Christiania,  on  the  13th  of  August,  1896,  and  from 
the  information  that  has  since  been  published,  it  is 
abundantly  evident  that  Nansen  must  for  ever  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  Arctic  travellers. 


li- 
to 
A 
lom 


KETURN  OF  THE  "  FKAM  "   ARRIVAL  AT  TKOMSO,  20TH  AUGUST,  l8i^6. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


^i| 


A   TALK  WITH   DR.   NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,   1 896. 

THE  landing  of  Dr.  Nansen  at  Christiania  is  now 
a  matter  of  history,  and  very  few  words  will 
suffice  concerning  it.  The  Fram  was  met,  far 
down  Christiania  Fjord  in  the  early  hours  of 
the  morning  of  the  9th  of  September,  by  a  flotilla  of 
seventy  passenger  steamers  and  a  small  squadron  of 
the  navy,  which  escorted  the  paintless  Fram  up  the 
fjord  amidst  the  booming  of  the  guns  and  the  deafen- 
ing hurrahs  of  the  usually  sober  Norsemen.  The 
Fram  having  been  moored  in  the  Piperviken,  Dr. 
Nansen  and  his  comrades  were  rowed  in  small  boats 
by  the  boys  of  the  training  ship,  Christiania,  to  the 
ship  bridge,  where  the  explorers  were  welcomed  by 
the  representatives  of  the  city  amidst  the  deafening 
cheers  of  the  vast  multitude.  In  acknowledging  the 
address  of  welcome  presented  by  the  Mayor  of  the 
capital,  Dr.  Nansen  made  a  characteristic  speech, 
130 


A  TALK  WITH   DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      13I 


^ 


every  word  of  which  was  listened  to  with  rapt  atten- 
tion : — "  It  is  very  difficult  to  express  the  feelings 
which  fill  the  hearts  of  my  comrades  and  myself. 
.  .  .  We  have  done  what  we  set  out  to  do.  .  .  .  The 
plans  I  made  myself,  but  it  is  due  to  my  brave  com- 
rades that  these  plans  have  been  carried  out.  Long 
live  Norway !  May  it  often  be  able  to  send  out  such 
men  as  accompanied  me." 

Then  came  the  triumphal  progress  to  the  Royal 
Palace,  when  Dr.  Nansen  and  his  companions  were 
welcomed  by  the  King  and  Crown  Prince.  Here 
the  explorer  saw  for  the  first  time  since  she  was  six 
months  old  his  little  daughter  Liv,  now  over  three 
and  a-half  years  old,  who  had  been  staying  in  the 
palace  by  special  invitation  of  the  King.  A  grand 
banquet  closed  the  first  day's  proceedings,  but  the 
festivities  were  prolonged  over  several  days,  perhaps 
the  most  notable  demonstration  being  that  on  Sun- 
day, the  1 3th  of  September,  which  was  set  aside  for 
the  Folkesfesten  (the  people's  feast),  about  which 
nothing  has  appeared  in  the  English  papers.  It  was 
on  this  occasion  that  the  great  Norwegian  novelist, 
Bjornson,  made  a  thrilling  speech,  filled  with  patriotic 
sentiments  and  bristling  with  wit,  which  provoked 
Dr.  Nansen  to  one  of  the  best  oratorical  efforts  of  the 
celebration. 

Speaking  of  his  departure  from  Norway,  the 
doctor  said : — "  I  know  we  felt  a  responsibility 
nearly  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  I  well  remember  the 
evening  when  we  steamed  northwards  along  our 
beautiful  coast ;  there  lay  a  couple  of  fishing  boats 
out  on  the  sea,  rocking  themselves  in  the  sunset  on 
the  bright  surface — an  ideal  scene  of  peace  and  com- 


132 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


.  I 


fort  The  fishermen  raised  themselves,  bared  their 
heads  reverently,  and  looked  after  the  curious  ship 
which  disappeared  northward.  It  was  then  we  felt 
how  near  we  were  to  the  hearts  of  the  Norwegian 
people.  We  felt  that  we  had  taken  part  of  their 
heart  with  us  on  board,  and  if  we  betrayed  our  duty, 
then  we  also  betrayed  the  love  which  the  Norwegian 
people  had  given  us  to  be  with  us  on  our  voyage. 
When  I  sent  the  last  message  to  the  Storthing  pre- 
vious to  our  departure — '  That  so  far  as  our  strength 
reached,  so  far  should  it  be  used  to  the  honour  of 
Norway ' — I  did  not  tell  more  than  the  truth ;  my 
comrades  would  have  fought  as  long  as  strength 
lasted,  as  long  as  life  was  with  them,  for  Norway's 
honour ;  and  this  al«o  I  will  say,  that  the  Norwegian 
people  have  no  need  to  be  ashamed  of  the  men  they 
sent  with  me.  A  more  daring  set  of  fellows  have 
never  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder.  I  say  fearlessly 
that  no  men  have  ever  acted  with  greater  faithfulness 
and  love  to  their  fatherland,  no  men  have  ever  more 
faithfully  discharged  the  duties  which  they  took  upon 
themselves  than  those  who  went  with  me  in  the 
Fram  north  of  the  polar  circle." 

Dr.  Nansen  then  proceeded  to  speak  of  the  single- 
ness of  purpose  by  which  the  crew  of  the  Fram  had 
been  actuated,  declaring  that  only  one  wish  prevailed, 
and  that  was  to  justify  the  confidence  and  affection 
which  the  Norwegian  people  had  manifested  at  their 
departure.  He  concluded  :  "  I  am  certain  of  this, 
that  the  more  the  distance  grew  between  us  and  the 
people  of  Norway,  the  greater  became  our  love,  the 
deeper  our  respect  for  our  country,  and  the  stronger 
our  feeling  of  patriotism  to  Norway." 


A   TALK   WITH    DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      1 33 


When  Nansen  sat  down,  and  the  ringing  cheers 
of  the  assembled  company  had  been  with  difficulty 
silenced  by  repeated  signs  from  Bjornson,  the 
president  of  the  meeting,  his  companions  were 
called  upon  one  after  another  to  receive  testimony 
of  the  appreciation  of  the  people  for  their  splendid 
work.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  group  .^ct  or 
suited  for  the  'special  and  arduous  work,  and  equally 
difficult  to  convey  to  the  English  mind  the  adequate 
representations  of  the  scene  amid  which  this  people's 
banquet  closed. 

Next  morning  I  had  an  interview  with  Dr.  Nansen 
at  Lysaker. 

When  I  arrived  at  Godthaab  Villa  the  doctor 
appeared,  and  after  a  hearty  hand-shake,  led  mc 
into  his  drawing-room.  He  appeared  in  perfect 
health,  despite  his  three  years'  sojourn  in  the  icy 
north.  He  was  a  trifle  paler  than  when  I  saw  him 
in  1893.  He  assured  me,  however,  that  the  trials 
and  dangers  he  had  gone  through  had  but  strength- 
ened his  physique. 

"Are  you  pleased  with  the  result  of  your  journey?" 
was  the  first  question  I  put. 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  he  replied  with  a  smile.  "  The  scientific 
results,  I  believe,  will  be  acknowledged  of  great  value. 
Professor  Mohn  and  other  scientific  friends  who  are  at 
work  tabulating  my  material  are  quite  enthusiastic 
over  the  observations  made  during  our  three  years* 
wanderings."  Dr.  Nansen  then  proceeded  to  talk 
with  me  briefly  on  the  main  features  of  the  voyage  of 
the  Fram  and  of  his  walk  when  he  left  the  ship, 
and  accompanied  only  by  Lieutenant  Johansen,  he 
attempted  to  penetrate  farther  north. 


134 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


The  plan  of  the  expedition  is  divisable  into  three 
parts  : — (i)  The  journey  in  the  Fram  from  Christiania 
until  March,  1895,  when  Nansen  left  her  to  go  pole- 
wards ;  (2)  Nansen  and  Johansen's  wonderful 
attempt  to  reach  the  Pole,  and  their  heroic  journey 
south  to  Franz  Josef  Land  ;  and  (3)  The  continued 
voyage  of  the  vessel  in  charge  of  Sverdrup,  and  the 
adventures  of  her  crew  from  March,  1895,  ""til  reach- 
ing home  in  August,  1896.  After  leaving  Vardo  the 
Fram  had  a  good  passage  to  Novaya  Zemlya.  She 
first  met  the  ice  in  latitude  60°  50'  N.,  longitude  50° 
E.,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Kolguef  Island,  but 
forced  her  way  through  in  splendid  style,  and 
arrived  at  Vugor  Strait  on  the  29th  of  July.  On  the 
evening  of  the  3rd  of  August  they  weighed  anchor 
and  soon  entered  the  dreaded  Kara  Sea.  On  the  6th 
of  August  they  were  stopped  by  ice  off  Yalmal,  and 
went  ashore  for  botanical  and  geological  purposes. 
Two  Samoyedes  ^'jre  boarded  the  vessel,  and  these 
were  the  last  human  beings  the  Frames  crew  saw  until 
the  return  home. 

"  Are  you  superstitious  ? "  was  the  next  question  I 
put  to  the  Doctor. 

"  No,  not  a  bit  of  it ;  but  why  do  you  ask  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  there  are  thirteen  in  your  crew 
all  told,  and  people  look  upon  that  as  an  ill-omen,  and 
some  superstitious  folk  prophesied  ill  of  your  expedi- 
tion because  it  consisted  of  thirteen.  Moreover,  the 
false  news  of  your  expedition  being  homeward  bound 
was  telegraphed  from  Irkutsk  on  a  thirteenth  (13th 
February,  1896)." 

"It  certainly  was  a  iucky  number  for  us,"  he 
replied.    "  None  of  my  men  were  ill  at  any  stage  of 


X 
G 

o 


7) 
M 


ZJ^     ^ 


i 


i 


A   TALK   WITH   DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1896.       1 37 

the  voyage,  none  of  them  gave  me  a  moment's 
anxiety ;  besides,  I  arrived  home  on  the  1 3th 
August,  1 896,  and  it  was  upon  the  1 3th  of  the  same 
month  that  my  ship  escaped  from  the  clutches  of  the 
ice.     So  you  see  thirteen  has  no  perils  for  me." 

"  Has  any  photogiaph  of  the  thirteen  men  been 
published  ?  "  I  as'^^ed. 

"No,  not  yet,"  he  replied.  "The  thirteenth  man, 
Bentsen,  joined  us  at  the  last  moment,  and  he  is 
superstitious  to  the  extent  that  he  manifests  a  strong 
aversion  to  having  his  photograph  taken." 

I  was,  however,  able  afterwards  to  obtain  a  photo- 
graph of  the  whole  crew,  from  which  the  picture  on 
page  135  is  taken;  but  it  is  singular  to  note  that 
though  Bentsen  consented  to  be  one  of  the  group 
he  did  his  best  to  prevent  the  photographer  from 
securing  his  features. 

"  The  thiee  years'  hardships  seem  to  have  told  but 
little  on  you  or  your  companions,"  I  said. 

"  No,"  he  replied ;  "  they  are  fine,  strong  men, 
accustomed  to  ice  work,  and  all  have  returned  home 
in  perfect  health,  some  indeed  being  stouter  than  when 
they  left  home.  We  owe  our  thanks,  however,  to 
Dr.  Blessing  for  his  patience,  skill,  and  care,  especially 
in  the  winter  months  of  darkness." 

The  men  were  glad  to  get  home  after  the  third 
whiter  in  these  weird  regions.  They  had  had  quite 
enough  of  the  darkness,  the  results  of  which  were 
shown  in  sleepless  nights  and  shaky  legs.  They  were 
not  absolutely  ill,  but  felt  weak  and  languid — full  of 
lassitude — and  Dr.  Blessing  became  very  anxious 
about  their  mental  state.  When  the  return  of  the  sun 
took  place  it  was  like  a  day  of  resurrection,  and  they 


'38 


FRIDTOF   NANSEN. 


r 


never  looked  behind  from  the  moment  its  rays  first 
brightened  their  surroundings. 

"  Will  you  come  to  England  tr  lecture?"!  asked 
the  Doctor. 

"  Yes ;  but  I  cannot  say  when,"  replied  Nansen. 
"  The  secretary  of  your  Royal  Geographical  Society 
has  invited  me  to  lecture  to  its  members,  and  I  have 
consented,  but  I  have  not  yet  fixed  a  date." 

Mrs.  Nansen  told  me  afterwards  that  she  would 
accompany  her  husband  on  his  lecturing  tour  in 
England,  where  she  spent  part  of  her  honeymoon. 

"  I  love  your  England,  and  so  does  my  husband," 
she  exclaimed  with  some  fervour. 

"  What  will  become  of  the  Fram  ? "  I  asked  the 
Doctor. 

"  She  will  probably  be  kept  at  Horten  ;  I  may 
require  her  again  soon,  and  cannot  possibly  have  a 
better  ship  for  Arctic  or  Antarctic  work." 

"  Will  you  again  attempt  to  reach  the  North  Pole  ?  " 
I  queried. 

"  I  cannot  possibly  say  yet,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  think 
so.  But  perhaps  I  shall  endeavour  to  discover  the 
South  Pole  first,  and  then  make  a  renewed  attack  on 
the  North  Pole  on  my  return  from  Antarctic  regions. 
I  must,  however,  finish  my  work  in  connection  with 
the  records  of  my  recent  expedition  before  making 
definite  plans  for  another  voyage." 

Continuing  his  brief  narrative  of  the  voyage.  Dr. 
Nansen  spoke  of  the  journey  from  Yugor  Strait 
through  the  Kara  Sea,  in  the  northern  portion  of 
which  they  were  fortunate  in  discovering  an  island, 
on  their  eastern  voyage,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Olenek 
River.      They   reached    this   point   on   the    15th   of 


A  TALK  WITH  DR.  NANSEN,  'SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      1 39 

September,  but  the  shallowness  of  the  water  and  the 
lateness  of  the  season  kept  them  from  going  in.  As 
the  winter  was  rapidly  approaching  they  decided  not 
to  call  for  the  sledge  dogs,  as  arranged,  lest  the  ice 
should  close  in  and  imprison  them  for  the  whole 
winter.  Three  days  later  they  were  steaming  along 
the  west  of  the  New  Siberian  Islands. 

On  the  22nd  of  September  Nansen  and  his  com- 
panions took  a  ticket  with  the  ice,  or,  in  other  words, 
made  the  Fram  fast  to  a  floe  in  latitude  78"  50'  N., 
longitude  133°  37'  E.,  and  a  few  days  later  the  ice 
closed  round  and  the  ship  was  frozen  in  for  the 
winter,  for  failure  or  success.  What  must  Nanoen\i 
feelings  have  been  as  he  watched  the  ice-pack  close 
around  his  ship,  bearing  him  perhaps  to  an  early 
grave,  or,  worse  still,  back  to  ignominy  and  the  scorn 
of  his  fellow- men  ?  Surely  for  this  devotion  to  science 
the  names  of  Nansen  and  his  faithful  companions  will 
ever  be  set  up  as  beacon  lights  to  every  youth  whom 
danger  awaits  or  duty  calls.  They  saw  no  land  after 
leaving  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  but  drifted  north 
and  north-west  during  the  autumn  and  winter. 
Towards  evening  on  Christmas  day,  1894,  latitude  83° 
was  reached  in  longitude  105°  E.,  and,  several  days 
later,  latitude  83**  24'  N.,  the  most  northerly  latitude 
until  then  reached  by- any  explorer.  It  was  during 
this  slow  and  tortuous  drift  that  *Dr.  Nansen  made  his 
greatest  discovery  of  the  voyage — the  existence  of  a 
wide,  deep  sea  towards  the  Pole,  having  a  relatively 
warm  temperature  in  its  depth,  a  continuation  of  the 
Arctic  Sea,  situated  between  Greenland  on  the  one 
hand,  and  Norway  and  Spitzbergen  on  the  other.  It 
was  previously  supposed  that  the  north  polar  sea  was 


I40 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


a  shallow  basin  with  icy-cold  water  from  top  to 
bottom.  Dr.  Nansen's  voyage  has  not  only  upset  this 
theory,  but  has  astonished  the  scientific  world  by 
the  remarkable  discovery  regarding  its  depth  and 
temperature. 

The  pressure  upon  ihe  Fram  during  this  drifting 
was  most  severe,  and  I  was  allowed  by  a  special 
permit  from  Dr.  !^iansen,  who  had  refused  scores  of 
applications  from  curious  sightseers,  to  make  a  close 
examination  of  the  ship  as  she  lay  in  the  Piperviken, 
and  can  testify  to  the  fact  that  she  looks  little  the 
worse  for  the  expedition,  except  that  the  paint  upon 
her  hull  is  now  an  unknown  quantity.  The  way  in 
which  she  successfully  withstood  the  ice-pressure  has 
naturally  delighted  the  heart  both  of  Dr.  Nansen  and 
her  builder.  The  crew  felt  "  as  safe  as  in  a  fortress  ; " 
and  were  sheltered  within  from  the  severity  of  the 
A^-'-tic  winter.  Twice  only  were  they  alarmed  ;  once 
before  Dr.  Nansen  left,  and  again  a  short  time  after 
his  departure.  On  the  first  occasion  the  ice-pressure 
was  most  severe ;  to  use  Dr.  Nansen's  words,  "  she 
was  firmly  frozen  in  ice  of  more  than  30  ft.  measured 
thickness."  This  floe  was  over-ridden  by  great  ice 
masses,  which  pressed  against  her  port  side  with  a 
force  which  threatened  to  bury  and  crush  her.  Boats, 
sledges,  kayaks,  and  provisions  were  placed  upon  a 
neighbouring  floe  in  readiness  for  the  v/orst,  but  "  the 
Fram  was  stronger  than  our  faith  in  her,"  said 
Dr.  Nansen  in  his  address  to  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  (8th  February,  1897),  and  the  shout  that  went 
up  from  the  vast  multitude  testified  to  their  apprecia- 
tion of  Nansen's  foresight  in  constructing  such  a 
vessel.     The  only  disagreeable  experience  was  the 


A  TALK  WITH   DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      I4I 


>3 


crashing,  creaking,  and  grinding  of  the  ice  as  it  closed 
around  the  ship.  The  Fratn^  as  previous  chapters 
explain,  was  so  constructed  as  to  rise  in  resistance 
to  the  ice-pressure  and  thus  escape  damage,  and  it  so 
successfully  accomplished  this  work  that  at  times  the 
crew  came  on  deck  to  find  the  ship  lifted  from  nine 
to  twelve  feet,  and  her  bottom  could  be  distinctly 
seen  resting  upon  the  ice. 

In  my  visits  to  the  Fram  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  meet  several  members  of  the  crew,  and  I  had  a 
long  chat  with  the  gallant  skipper,  Sverdrup,  with 
Jacobsen,  and  with  Lieutenant  Johansen,  fair-haired, 
clean-shaven,  with  a  bright,  good-humoured  face. 
As  Johansen  recounted  Dr.  Nansen's  and  his  own 
ice-tramp,  his  comrades  crowded  round  and  listened 
with  interest  to  all  he  told  me ;  one  and  all  envied 
him  for  being  the  chosen  companion  of  Dr.  Nansen 
for  that  daring  excursion.  I  also  met  Lieutenant 
Scott- Hansen,  the  boy  scientist,  and  Dr.  Blessing, 
who  told  me  that,  apart  from  his  medical  duties, 
which  were  fortunately  light,  he  aided  Dr.  Nansen 
and  Scott-Hansen  in  the  scientific  work,  and  took 
some  part  in  observing  the  Aurora  and  deep  sea 
observations.  Although  quite  a  young  man,  he  is  a 
scientist  and  botanist  of  no  mean  order ;  a  man  of 
many  parts.  He  employed  some  of  his  leisure  in 
occupations  so  diverse  as  stoking  the  furnace  and 
conducting  an  investigation  into  the  action  of  the 
blood.  He  was  the  only  unmarried  member  of  the 
crew,  and  a  romantic  incident  connected  with  him  is 
not  without  interest.  Dr.  Blessing  had  been  engaged 
to  a  fair  Norwegian  maiden  before  he  became  one  of 
Dr.  Nansen's  party.     After  his  departure  the  young 


142 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


lady  naturally  became  very  anxious  to  communicate 
with  her  future  husband,  but  although  love  laughs  at 
locks  and  bolts,  it  is  not  ecisy  for  Cupid  to  send  his 
messages  to  the  ice-bound  regions  of  the  north,  and 
for  a  time  even  feminine  resource  was  unequal  to  the 
task  of  despatching  a  letter  to  Dr.  Blessing,  some- 
where near  the  North  Pole.  One  day,  however,  the 
lady  read  of  M.  Andr^e's  proposition  for  a  balloon 
voyage  to  the  Pole,  and  she  approached  him  with  a 
request  that  he  would  take  a  love  missive  in  the 
hope  that  it  would  reach  the  object  of  her  choice. 
Gallantry  prevented  M.  Andr^e  from  refusing  the 
request  of  the  young  lady,  and  he  took  charge  of  the 
letter,  in  the  full  belief  that  he  would  meet  the 
vessel,  and  be  able  to  deliver  the  note  to  Dr.  Blessing. 
When  finally  the  projected  balloon  voyage  had  to  be 
given  up  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  favourable 
southerly  winds,  M.  Andree  handed  the  letter  to 
the  captain  of  a  whaling  vessel  that  was  going 
northwards,  on  the  off-chance  that  it  might  fall  in 
with  the  expedition.  Singularly  enough  the  vessel 
did  encounter  the  Fram,  with  Dr.  Blessing  on  board  ; 
the  letter  was  delivered,  and  thus  some  time  before 
reaching  the  Norwegian  coast,  the  young  physician 
saw  the  hand-writing  of  his  fiancee^  and  read  her 
written  protestations  of  love. 

One  afternoon,  on  board  the  Frailly  I  spent  in 
company  with  Hendriksen,  the  harpooner  of  the 
expedition,  a  veritable  giant,  with  broad  shoulders, 
and  a  pleasant,  round,  determined-looking  face,  and 
whose  exceptional  physical  powers  were  severely 
tested  on  more  than  one  occasion.  He  led  the  way 
to  the  Fram's  saloon,  and  showed   me  through  the 


L 


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A  TALK  WITH   DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      I45 


cabin  where  the  explorer  slept  during  the  voyage. 
All  the  crew  shared  the  saloon  in  common.  He 
displayed  to  my  wondering  gaze  the  rifles,  hunting 
knives,  harpoons,  and  other  implements,  and  I  was 
somewhat  amused  at  the  number  of  empty  medicine 
bottles  in  the  physician's  berth,  showing  that  he  had 
not  spared  physic  to  the  crew  on  the  least  sign  of 
indisposition.  Ascending  past  the  galley  upstairs  we 
entered  Dr.  Nansen's  and  Captain  Sverdrup's  work- 
rooms, furnished  vvith  an  elaborate  stock  of  scientific 
and  other  instruments,  and  looked  into  the  forehold, 
yet  filled  with  provisions. 

Nansen  had  written  to  The  Strand  Magazine  on 
his  outward  journey: — "  Of  provisions  we  have  plenty, 
and  in  great  variety ;  much  more  so,  I  believe,  than 
most  previous  expeditions  in  the  Arctic.  Variety  of 
food  is  the  most  important  thing  in  order  to  avoid 
scurvy,  which  has  destroyed  so  many  well-equipped 
expeditions.  We  have,  of  course,  tinned  meats  in  all 
possible  forms ;  boiled,  roast,  and  corned  beef,  ditto 
mutton,  rabbits,  col  lops,  Oxford  sausages,  cutlets, 
pork,  ham,  bacon,  etc. ;  tinned  fish  and  roe  in  various 
forms ;  tinned  fruits,  dried  fruits,  jams,  marmalades, 
blanc-mange,  Bird's  custard  powder,  ^%<g  powder, 
and  baking  powder;  concentrated  lime  juice  from 
Rose  &  Co. ;  rizine,  peas,  pea  soups,  lentil  soup,  bean 
soup,  Frame  Food,  Bovril,  dried  vegetables,  biscuits ; 
Cadbury's  chocolate,  steam-cooked  and  dried  meal 
and  flour  of  various  kinds,  dried  fish,  dried  potatoes  ; 
preserved  milk,  with  sugar  and  without  sugar ;  com- 
pressed tea,  cheese,  sugar,  etc. ;  and,  above  all,  butter, 
which   is   most    important    in   the   cold,   where  you 

especially  want  fat.    We  carry  six  tons  of  butter. 

K 


146 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


*'  For  sledge  expeditions  we  have,  of  course, 
specially  concentrated  and  light  foods,  principally 
consisting  of  dried  meat  with  fat.  The  Bovril  Co. 
has,  on  my  suggestion,  made  a  special  food  consisting 
of  these  niaterials  which  is  highly  concentrated  ;  they 
have  called  it  '  emergency  food.'  For  sledge  expedi- 
tions we  shall  also  use  biscuits  and  butter,  steam- 
cooked  meal  for  porridge,  milk,  chocolate,  dried  fish, 
dried  fruits,  dried  cranberries,  sugar,  a  little  com- 
pressed tea,  and  also  some  biscuits,  to  which  I  have 
added  a  quantity  of  a  German  product  called 
Aleuronat  powder,  which  principally  contains  albu- 
men, I  have  added  about  thirty  per  cent,  of  this  to 
the  biscuits,  so  that  a  certain  numb'"  of  them,  with  a 
suitable  quantity  of  butter,  will  b  ^cient  for  one 
man  per  day ;  I  believe  a  pound  and  a-half  of 
biscuits,  or  a  little  more,  and  half-a-pound  of  butter 
will  be  an  appropriate  ration.  For  drinking  we  shall 
have  nothing  except  water,  which  we  shall  get  by 
melting  snow.  This  water  we  may,  however,  mix 
with  lime  juice  and  sugar,  or  with  milk,  or  make  tea, 
chocolate,  or  soup  of  it,  and  thus  v/e  shall  have 
pleasant  drinks.  A  good  drink  is  als6  water  mixed 
with  oatmeal.  Spirituous  drinks  will  not  be  allowed  ; 
tobacco  will  be  distributed  in  very  moderate  rations 
on  board  ship ;  on  sledge  expeditions  no  tobacco,  or 
very  little,  will  be  allowed." 

As  to  dress  Nansen  writes  : — "  Out  of  doors  in  the 
winter  when  the  winds  are  blowing  we  shall  wear 
weather-proof  suits,  made  of  light  canvas,  gabar- 
dine, or  similar  stuff,  which  protects  against  the 
snow-drift.  When  it  is  very  cold  we  shall  wear 
fur    suits,   made    principally   of  wolf   and    reindeer 


A   TALK    WITH    DK.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMHER,  1896.      147 


the 
^ear 
)ar- 
the 
ear 
eer 


^    ^tI 


fur.  To  sleep  in  the  snow  or  in  our  tents  dur- 
ing the  sledge  expeditions  we  have  also  sleeping- 
bags  made  of  the  same  material,  in  which  we  can 
easily,  and  with  comfort,  stand  a  temperature  of  one 
hundred  degrees  below  zero. 

"  Our  tents  are  made  of  raw  silk  and  are  exceedingly 
light.  Lightness  is,  of  course,  of  the  highest  import- 
ance, when  everything  must  be  carried  on  the  sledges. 
The  tent  floor  is,  however,  of  a  somewhat  heavier 
stuff,  as  that  has  to  keep  out  the  moisture  which  is 
easily  formed  when  you  sleep  on  the  snow,  with 
nothing  under  you  except  a  thin  canvas  or  calico 
layer.  It  is  also  well  to  have  the  tent  floor  rather 
strong,  as  it  can  then  be  used  as  a  sail  on  the  sledge 
when  you  have  a  favourable  wind." 

In  the  forehold  Hendriksen  showed  me  the  sledges, 
kayaks,  ski,  and  cooking  apparatus  used  by  Dr.  Nansen 
and    Lieutenant  Johansen    on   their   dangerous   ice- 
journey.     The  sleeping  bag  used  by  them  on  their 
tramp  was  a  particularly  attractive  novelty.     It  was 
made  from  the  skin  of  a  polar  bear  shot  by  Dr.  Nansen, 
the  fur  being  inside,  and  it  must  have  been  a  warm 
berth  with  the  two  men  packed  inside  it.     All  the 
Arctic    equipment    bore    evidence   of    havi  ig    been 
severely  tested  in  actual  use ;  the  sledges  especially 
bore  traces  of  hard  pulling,  being  patched  with  much 
care  in  many  places.     Their  kayaks  sre  about   five 
yards  long,  made  of  skins  many  times  mended.     In 
these  canoes  they  slept,  breathing  ihrough  air-holes. 
Beside  them  lies  the  head  of  the  walrus  which  pierced 
one  of  the  kayaks  right  through,  also  the  skin  of  the 
polar  bear  which  nearly  hugged  Johansen  to  death. 
There  are,  besides,  the  two  ice-sledges  on  which  the 


148 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


fi 


■ 


■V 


kayaks  and  luggage  were  drawn ;  the  snow  shoes, 
quite  black  and  worn  out ;  the  bamboo  sticks,  the 
saucepan,  with  the  remains  of  the  horrible  soup  ;  and, 
most  important  of  all,  a  little  box  containing  the 
diaries. 

I  had  some  conversation  with  Captain  Sverdrup 
on  the  bridge  of  the  Frain,  and  he  assured  me  that 
the  three  years  he  spent  on  board  their  "  Arctic 
home  "  were  comparatively  comfortable  ones.  Nansen 
and  Johansen  had,  in  his  opinion,  the  worst  of  it. 
"An  expedition  like  ours,"  he  said,  "  is  never  free  from 
excitement  or  grave  danger,  and  we  had  our  share. 
Our  principal  duties  were  to  take  regular  scientific 
observations,  and  this  was  an  onerous  and  responsible 
task,  and  we  found  plenty  of  physical  exercise  in 
endeavouring  to  keep  the  ship  free  from  ice.  That 
the  dreaded  Arctic  disease,  scurvy,  did  not  show  itself 
is  attributed  to  the  nutritious  food  we  had  and  the 
readiness  of  all  to  partake  of  bear  and  seal  flesh  when 
caught." 

One  night  when  most  of  the  ship's  company  were 
snug  below,  the  dogs  were  suddenly  heard  barking 
furiously.  It  was  ship's  carpenter  Mogstad's  watch, 
so  he  went  up  on  deck  to  see  if  anything  unusual  was 
going  on,  but  as  he  could  see  nothing  he  went  down 
below  again,  concluding  that  the  dogs  were  just 
barking  for  the  sake  of  barking,  as  is  their  wont. 
However,  the  noise  was  repeated  at  intervals,  so  he 
went  up  on  deck  again,  and  taking  a  lantern  saw 
that  several  of  the  animals  had  disappeared  and  that 
some  others  were  overboard  on  the  ice.  Mogstad 
called  out  for  Hcndriksen,  and  they  both  let  them- 
selves down   on   to  the   ice   from   the  deck  of  the 


11''  I , 


A  TALK   WITH   DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      1 49 


ship,  which  at  the  time  was  high  above  the  ice  sur- 
face. 

They  walked  off  a  little  distance  from  the  ship,  to 
see  if  they  could  find  any  tracks.  As  they  were 
searching  about  with  no  more  formidable  weapon 
than  a  small  lantern  between  them,  all  at  once  a  polar 
bear  sprang  up  before  them.  Then  there  was  a  race 
between  the  three,  the  two  men  and  the  bear,  to  the 
ship.  Mogstad,  a  bit  more  light-footed  than  his  mate, 
reached  the  Fram  first,  but  fell  down  twice  on  to  the 
ice  as  he  was  climbing  up  her  side.  At  the  second 
fall  he  could  not  help  muttering  to  himself,  "  Now  the 
bear 's  got  you,  my  friend ! "  But  despair  steadied 
his  nerves,  and  be  managed  to  hoist  himself  safely  up 
behind  the  ship's  bulwarks.  He  had  hardly  got  on 
board,  however,  when  he  heard  his  comrade  call  out 
and  saw  that  the  bear  had  got  hold  of  him,  and  had 
bitten  him.  But  Hendriksen,  a  big,  powerful,  resolute 
fellow,  dealt  his  assailant  such  a  blow  on  the  head 
with  the  liglued  lantern  he  was  carrying  that  the 
brute,  half  stunned  and  half  scared,  let  go  his  prey, 
and  Hendriksen  seized  the  opportunity  to  skip  up  the 
ship's  side.  The  bear  revenged  itself  by  carrying  off 
several  of  the  dogs. 

In  a  private  letter  from  Lieutenant  Johansen  we 
find  a  lively  account  of  the  feelings  he  and  his  fellows 
experienced  during  their  long  isolation.  "Although 
far  from  all  human  kind,"  he  says,  "shut  up  in  the 
desolate  polar  ice,  miles  and  miles  away  from  any 
secure  port,  and  sometimes  so  crushed  by  the  ice  that 
we  thought  of  forsaking  the  ship,  we  had  still  in  the 
Fram  a  refuge  free  from  care  and  full  of  quiet  con- 
temp' ation.  .  .  .  We  felt  untroubled  and  free  as  rarely 


150 


FRIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


boforc  in  all  our  lives.  Once  a  polar  bear,  probably 
plagued  with  ennui,  paid  us  a  visit.  This  queer, 
restless  animal,  who  wanders  ceaselessly  by  night  and 
day,  is  a  remarkable  creature,  and  we  valued  its  flesh 
as  an  agreeable  change  from  the  monotonous  tinned 
meats." 

"In    what   did    your   scientific   work    consist?"   I 
enquired  of  Dr.  Nansen. 

"That   requires    a    little   consideration,"   said    the 
Doctor.     Then  after  a  pause,  "It  consisted  of  exact 
observations,  and  my  expedition  will  be  chiefly  a  gain 
to  meteorology  and  oceanography.     We  had  to  take 
magnetic  and  meteorological  observations  on  sea  and 
land,  when  we  found  any  land.     We  had  to  observe 
the  temperature  of  the  ocean  at  all  depths  and  seasons 
of  the  year,  to  sound,  trawl,  and  dredge,  and  to  study 
the  character  and   distribution  of  marine  organism. 
Yes,  I  hope  our  expedition  will  enrich  the  records  of 
astronomy,   geology,   botany,   zoology,   and   kindred 
subjects.     During  the  whole  drift  I  spent  most  of  my 
time  in  taking  a  series  of  exact  observations  in  the 
above  subjects,  but  I  was  ably  seconded  in  the  work 
by  Lieutenant  Scott-Hansen  and  Dr.  Blessing,  and 
when  I  left  the  Fram  the  former  took  charge  of  the 
scientific  work."    The  depth  of  the  sea  along  the  track 
of  the  ship  ranged  between  2000  and  2500  fathoms. 

Dr.  Nansen  added  that  his  favourite  subject  was 
biology,  which  he  studied  earnestly  during  the  first 
series  of  Arctic  voyages,  for  he  loved  science  first 
and  exploration  second.  He  did  not,  however,  have 
much  chance  of  biological  research  during  the  recent 
voyage. 

Lieutenant   Johansen,  who    volunteered    and    was 


A   TALK   WITH    DR.  NANSEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      15I 


I, 


chosen  to  accompany  Nansen,  told  me  in  rej^ard  to 
their  ice-journey,  when  it  was  decided  that  the  Doctor 
and  himself  should  leave  the  vessel  to  explore  the 
north  of  their  route  and  reach  the  highest  possible 
latitude,  that  they  tried  to  start  three  times.  The 
first  time,  the  sledge  broke  down  at  a  short  distance  ; 
the  second  start  occupied  three  days,  after  which  they 
had  to  return  and  complete  their  stock  of  necessary 
provisions.  Their  final  start  was  on  the  14th  of 
March,  1895,  when  the  Fram  was  at  latitude  83°  59' 
N.,  longitude  102°  27'  E. 

Nansen  and  Johansen  had,  in  starting,  twenty-eight 
dogs,  three  sledges,  and  two  kayaks  for  use  in  open 
water.  Dog  food  was  calculated  for  thirty  days,  and 
their  own  provisions  for  one  hundred  days.  They 
found  travelling  at  first  easy,  and  hope  was  bright, 
and  on  the  22nd  of  March  they  reached  latitude 
85°  10'  N. ;  but  the  farther  north  they  reached  the 
rougher  the  ice  became,  and  the  drift  at  times  set 
back  their  work,  while  the  sledge  dogs  did  not  prove 
as  serviceable  as  they  had  hoped.  On  the  25th  of 
March,  after  great  labour,  they  had  but  reached 
latitude  85°  19'  N.,  and  four  days  after,  latitude 
85°  30'  N.  It  was  fatiguing  work  to  drag  the  heavily- 
laden  sledges  across  the  high,  hummocky  ice,  with 
the  floes  in  constant  movement,  crushing  and  grinding 
against  each  other.  But  these  two  brave  men  pressed 
onward  against  increasing  odds,  on  through  blinding 
snow-storms,  and  frequently  face  to  face  with  death. 
But  the  time  came  when  human  endurance  could  push 
no  farther,  and  on  the  7th  of  April  the  ice  became  so 
much  worse  that  Nansen  considered  it  unwise  to 
continue  their  course  polewards,  and  they  therefore 


152 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


^3 


I 


I;  J.' 


I )  '  I 


decided  to  go  south  to  Spitzbergen,  vm  Franz  Josef 
Land,  where  there  was  every  possibility  of  a  ship 
being  met  with.  They  were  then  at  latitude  86"  14' 
N.,  and  before  finally  turning  south  the  doctor  made 
a  long  run  on  ski  to  see  if  there  was  any  possibility 
of  finding  smoother  ice,  but,  as  far  as  eye  could  reach 
there  stretched  hummock  beyond  hummock  "  like  a 
sea  of  breakers." 

On  the  return  journey,  in  a  south-westerly  direction, 
they  travelled  430  miles  in  four  months,  and  the  only 
land  they  found  on  the  way  consisted  of  a  few  ice- 
capped  islands,  a  little  to  the  north-east  of  Franz 
Josef  Land.  On  the  26th  of  August  they  reached 
land  in  latitude  81"  13'  N.,  longitude  56°  E.,  well 
suited  for  wintering,  and  there  they  dwelt  for  267 
days,  living  on  the  blubber  of  the  polar  bear,  seal,  and 
walrus,  and  utterly  unaware  that  less  than  one  hun- 
dred miles  away  to  the  south-south-west  there  lay  the 
headquarters  of  the  Jackson-Harmsworth  expedition, 
containing  men  who  would  have  been  delighted  to 
welcome  them  to  their  comparatively  comfortable 
home. 

Dr.  Nansen's  winter  hut  was  somewhat  different 
from  Jackson's.  It  was  built  of  turf,  covered  with 
walrus  skins.  The  roof  was  also  of  walrus  skins, 
supported  on  logs  of  driftwood.  A  bear  skin  served 
for  the  door,  and  of  another  bear  skin  they  made  a 
sleeping-bag.  Although  they  spent  their  time  sleep- 
ing much  and  took  little  exercise,  they  were  never  at 
all  unwell.  The  temperature  in  the  hut  was  seldom 
below  freezing  point,  and  this  was  a  comfortable 
temperature  to  our  explorers. 

Of  that  memorable  journey  much  has  been  written. 


i! 


;ii 


A   TALK  WITH   DR.  NAN  SEN,  SEPTEMBER,  1 896.      1 53 


Their  escapes  were  almost  miraculous,  and  danger 
constantly  stared  them  in  the  face.  On  one  occasion, 
while  draj^ging  their  sledges  along  a  narrow  path, 
the  travellers  were  suddenly  confronted  by  a  polar 
bear,  but  Johansen,  who  is  a  man  of  exceptional 
physical  strength,  caught  the  intruder  by  the  throat 
and  held  him  at  arm's  length  while  Dr.  Nansen 
despatched  him  with  his  rifle.  On  another  occasion, 
after  an  excursion  inland,  they  returned  to  see  their 
canoes  drifting  from  land  with  all  their  necessaries  on 
board.  To  reach  the  boats  was  a  matter  of  life  or 
death,  but  without  a  moment's  hesitation  Dr.  Nansen 
sprang  into  the  ice-cold  water  and  swam  after  the 
drifting  canoes.  He  was  chilled  to  the  bone,  but  he 
succeeded  in  his  object,  and  brought  the  canoes 
safely  to  the  spot  where  his  anxious  comrade  stood 
watching  the  incident. 

I  cannot  conceive  a  more  daring  act  of  courage 
than  that  of  Hansen's  and  Johansen's  in  leaving  the 
Fram  with  the  certainty  of  remaining  in  the  inhospit- 
able region -^  for  a  year,  perhaps  two,  and  of  never 
regaining  the  ship.  They  had  no  winter  clothing, 
and  provisions  only  for  one  hundred  days.  Yet  they 
departed  cheerfully,  laden  with  an  exhaustless  stock 
of  hope  and  charged  with  loving  messages  to  wives 
and  to  friends  if  those  on  board  the  vessel  should 
perish  in  the  far  north.  The  numerous  messages 
which  Dr.  Nansen  brought  back  to  Norway  from 
those  on  board  the  Fraw  were  written  on  a  single 
sheet  of  paper  in  a  microscopic  hand,  so  as  to 
economise  weight  and  space.  Day  after  day,  month 
after  month  passed,  and  still  they  toiled  on.  The 
little  stock  of  food  was  almost  exhausted  and  the 


r 


154 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


doG[s   were 


starving. 


And  here  a  touching  trait 
of  Dr.  Nansen's  character  shows  itself.  He  dared 
not  cxpen  1  a  cartridge  in  shooting  one  of  the  poor 
beasts  to  make  food  for  the  other  dogs,  and  some- 
times for  his  companion  and  himself,  and  as  he  could 
not  bring  himself  to  kill  his  own  faithful  dumb 
followers  in  cold  blood,  he  killed  Johansen's  sledge 
dogs,  whilst  Johansen  killed  his.  In  this  manner 
they  struggled  on  until  thp  !ogs  were  all  slaughtered. 
Fortunately  open  water  was  reached  soon  after,  and 
bears,  seals,  walruses,  and,  at  times,  Arctic  bears  were 
found,  which  furnished  food  until  Dr.  Nansen  and  his 
comrade  met  the  Jackson-Harmsworth  party. 

The  story  of  how  Nansen  and  his  comrade  met 
Mr.  Jackson  (17th  June,  1896)  is  one  of  the  most 
dramatic  incidents  recorded  in  the  romance  of  history. 
It  was  a  fortunate  meeting,  which  Dr.  Nansen 
declares  he  shall  ever  regard  with  feelings  of  grati- 
tude ;  but  had  he  not  coine  across  Mr.  Jackson  his 
original  plan  of  proceeding  to  Spitzbergen  would 
probably  have  been  carried  out  with  nothing  more 
than  a  few  more  hardships  and  a  little  longer  delay. 

Some  think  Nansen's  work  over-praised.  May 
I  point  out  that  during  a  period  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  years  previous  to  Nansen's  departure  the 
efforts  of  a  vast  host  of  Arctic  explorers — the  bravest 
of  the  brave — succeeded  only  in  piercing  150  miles 
nearer  the  Pole.  Dr.  Nansen,  in  less  than  two  years 
from  the  start,  distanced  all  these  previous  explorers 
efforts  by  200  miles  {reaching  his  farthest  north  on  the 
%th  of  Aprils  1895),  and  covering  the  last  150  miles  in 
six  iveeks.     Such  a  deed  speaks  for  itself. 


\ 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CONCLUSION. 


i 


f( 


H 


OME  safe,  after  a  fortunate  expedition,"  ran 
the  first  telegram  announcing  Dr.  Nansen's 
riturn. 

It  is  a  popular  fallacy  that  Dr.  Nansen 
starterl  ou  solely  to  reach  the  North  Pole.  If  this 
had  been  so,  no  doubt  the  criticisms  of  those  who  say 
that  the  voyage  was  a  failure  would  be  justified  ; 
but  that  view  is  inaccurate  and  unjust  to  Nansen. 
What  he  went  out  to  do  was  to  explore  the  Arctic 
basin,  and,  if  possible,  settle  certain  problems  con- 
nected with  it.  He  said  this  in  so  many  words  in 
his  address  to  the  English  Geographical  Society  in 
1892.  Here  is  a  '  pical  sentence,  and  the  italics  are 
Nansen's  : — '*  It  may  be  possible  that  the  current  will 
not  carry  us  across  the  Pole,  but  the  principal  thing  w 
to  explore  the  unknown  polar  regions^  not  to  reach 
exactly  that  mathematical  point  in  which  the  axis  of 
our  globe  has  its  northern  termination."     Bearing  this 

^11 


I 


156 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


in  mind,  it  is  impossible  to  pronounce  the  expedition 
a  failure,  even  if  there  were  no  other  discovery  than 
that  of  the  c/ee/>  sea  in  the  polar  regions. 

Before    leaving  in    1893   Dr.  Nansen   made   three 
predictions    regarding    his   venture.      The    first   was 
that  1896  would  probably  be  the  first  year  in  which 
it  would  be  heard   of     The  second  was  that  if  the 
Fram  were   deserted  the   party   would   come   home 
by  Franz  Josef  Land.     The  third  was  that  if  they 
stuck   to   the   ship   she   would,   by   the   aid   of    the 
drift,  bring  them  out  between  Spitzbergen  and  East 
Greenland.      This  is  precisely  what   has   happened. 
Dr.  Nansen  has  vindicated  his  theory  of  the  polar 
drift,    though     disappointed     somewhat    as     to    its 
northerly  limit,  ?         discomfited    those  who   main- 
tained that  in  tru....  g  to  what  they  styled  "  supposed 
currents,"  he  was  throwing  away  the  lives  of  himself 
and  his  party.     All  other  performances  pale  in  com- 
parison with    this    feat   of  the  Norwegian  explorer. 
It  is  not  merely  that  he  has  gone  some  2CX)  miles 
nearer   the    Pole   than    any   of  his   predecessors,   or 
that  he  has  made  one  of  the  most  daring  journeys 
on  record,  but  it  is  that  he  has  established  the  truth 
of  his  theory  of  Arctic  currents^  and   has   brought 
back  valuable  scientific  information.      Its  organiser 
passed  over  an  enormous   part  of  the  girth  of  the 
eastern   polar  sea — covered  almost   the  widest  area 
of  the  earth's  surface  that  can  be  covered  in  a  like 
voyage,  and  they  travelled  at  a  pace  which  permitted 
them   to   mark   upon   the  chart   accurately   all    the 
districts  traversed.     There  was  no  line  of  retreat^  no 
going  back  and  covering  the  same  ground  twice,  as  has 
been  the  case  in  nearly  every  previous  Arctic  voyage. 


CONCLUSION. 


157 


Nansen  has  made  this  unparalleled  journey  in 
consequence  of  his  simple  plan  of  not  opposing,  but 
siding  with,  the  Arctic  currents  and  floes.  The  result 
is  a  most  magnificent  victory  of  science,  and  a  proof 
that  scientific  training,  no  less  than  courage,  persever- 
ance, and  physical  endurance,  is  necessary  in  an 
Arctic  explorer.  This  splendid  success  was  owing, 
as  Professor  Mohn  stated,  "  to  the  fact  that  Nansen 
is  a  man  of  science,  who,  with  his  mastery  of  all  that 
had  been  done  and  the  penetration  of  his  genius, 
could  gain  an  insight  into  the  unknown ;  and  that, 
with  unsurpassed  practical  sense,  he  knew  how  to 
make  the  arrangements  necessary  to  secure  that  his 
journey,  from  beginning  to  end,  should  be  a  unique 
success." 

Nansen  depicts  the  experiences  and  sufferings 
met  with  in  narratives  which  are  notable  both  for 
their  accuracy  and  modesty.  He  treats  as  ordinary 
incidents  the  freezing  in  of  the  Fram ;  her  years 
of  solitude  in  the  grip  of  the  ice ;  the  fact  that 
he  and  Johansen,  on  their  ski  journey,  were  without 
furs  for  several  months  in  a  temperature  which 
sank,  at  times,  to  the  inconceivable  cold  of  62° 
below  zero  (F.) ;  and  that  for  ten  months  they  lived, 
like  th  •  Eskimo  and  the  Samoyede,  on  blubber. 
As  for  the  task  of  gaining  land  by  clambering 
from  one  small  ice-floe  to  another  for  thirteen  con- 
tinuous days,  he  merely  mentions  it ;  and  of  the 
severe  winter  spent  at  Franz  Josef  Land,  he  remarks 
that  it  "passed  well,  and  we  were  both  in  perfect 
health."  And  when  he  was  absolutely  cut  off"  from 
any  hope  except  the  desperate  one  of  getting  south, 
he  points  out  the  moral  advantage  of  having  "  no  line 


158 


I'RIDTJOF    NANSEN. 


of  retreat'^  Of  such  stuff  indeed  are  heroes  made. 
For  his  immense  courage  and  fortitude,  for  his  in- 
calculable patience  and  scientific  gifts,  Nansen 
deserves  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  Arctic  ex- 
plorers. When  I  say  this  I  do  not  forget  the  great 
services  rendered  to  mankind  by  Hudson,  Davis, 
Baffin,  the  Rosses,  Franklin,  Kane,  McClintock, 
Nordenskiold,  Nares,  Markham,  Greeley,  and  the 
rest  of  the  great  Arctic  explorers,  whose  doings 
aroused  emulation  in  the  mind  of  Fridtjof  Nansen, 
and  who  showed  him  the  way  through  the  pack-ice 
to  success  and  glory. 

Dr.  Nansen's  work  is  admirably  summarised  in 
the  preface  which  Mr.  William  Archer  contributes  to 
his  own  translation  of  the  biography  of  Nansen  : — 
"  What  Nansen  has  done,  in  the  teeth  of  scepticism 
and  discouragement  harder  to  face,  perhaps,  than 
the  Arctic  pack-ice  and  the  month-long  night,  is  to 
lead  the  way  into  the  very  heart  of  the  polar  fast- 
nesses, and  to  show  how,  with  forethought,  skill, 
and  resolution,  they  can  be  traversed  as  safely  as 
the  Straits  of  Dover.  While  other  explorers  have 
crept,  as  it  were,  towards  the  Pole,  each  penetrating, 
with  incredible  toil,  a  degree  or  two  farther  than  the 
last,  Nansen  has  at  one  stride  enormously  reduced 
the  unconquered  distance,  and  has  demonstrated 
the  justice  of  his  theory  as  to  the  right  way  of 
attacking  the  problem.  Nor  is  this  the  crown  of 
his  achievement.  As  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
*  gained  a  hundred  fights,  and  never  lost  an  English 
gun,'  so  Nansen  has  now  come  forth  victorious  from 
two  campaigns,  each  including  many  a  hard-fought 
fray,  and  has  never  lost  a  Norwegian  life.     We  have 


II 
01  i  I 


CONCLUSION. 


159 


'fc>> 


of 


I 


ve 


only  to  read  the  tragic  record  of  Arctic  exploration 
in  the  past  to  realise  the  magnitude  of  this  exploit. 
It  is  in  no  way  lessened  by  the  fact  that  Nansen  has 
profited  by  the  hard-earned  experience  of  his  pre- 
decessors. On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  chief  glory  of 
this  expedition  that  absolute  intrepidity  went  hand 
in  hand  with  conswrimate  intelligence."  * 

A  very  charming  glimpse  into  the  home  of  Nansen, 
such  as  it  represented  on  the  day  (13th  August)  when 
the  telegram  arrived  which  told  of  Nansen's  safety, 
is  given  by  a  friend  and  neighbour  of  Dr.  and  Fru 
Nansen  : — "  Yesterday  evening,  about  seven,  my  wife 
and  I  were  walking  along  the  private  path  leading 
to  our  own  and  the  Nansen's  houses,  and  which 
belongs  to  them  and  us  together.  Little  four-year- 
old  Liv  Nansen  met  us,  and  chattered,  *  Mamma 
has  gone  to  town.  Papa  is  coming  home.'  On 
inquiries  I  learnt  that  Fru  Nansen  had  just  had 
a  telegram  from  her  husband,  telling  her  of  his 
arrival  at  Vardo.  She  started  at  once  for  Christiania 
to  tell  her  mother,  and  to  hear  more.  I  jumped 
on  my  bicycle  and  went  after  her.  The  Karl- 
Johannes  Gade  swarmed  with  people.  The  great- 
est enthusiasm  prevailed.  All  the  cafes  were  crowded, 
and  in  front  of  the  newspaper  offices,  where  the 
telegrams  were  shown  against  the  walls  as  they 
arrived,  the  masses  were  fighting  for  a  place  whence 
they  could  read  them.  Groups  were  parading  the 
streets  singing  national  songs  and  shouting  '  Hurrah.' 
I  was  not  in  time  to  find  Fru  Nansen,  but  on  return- 
ing to  my  cottage  near  the  fjord  I  noticed  a  procession 

*  "  Life  of  Nansen"  (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.). 


i6o 


FRIDTJOF   NANSEN. 


of  fishing  boats  sail  close  to  the  shore.  The  fishermen 
bared  their  heads,  and  shouted  *  Hurrah '  three  times 
three. 

"Below  the  balcony  of  my  studio  two  children 
are  playing.  It  is  little  Liv  and  my  five-year-old 
Hjalmar.  The  two  are  inseparable.  They  are  in 
love  with  each  other  as  in  the  days  of  old  were 
Fridtjof  and  Ingebord.  I  can  hear  their  discussion. 
*My  papa  is  as  strong  as  a  bear,'  says  Hjalmar. 
*  My,  papa  is  as  strong  as ' — the  little  girl  hesitates 
— 'he  is  the  strongest  man  in  the  world,'  she  says 
with  strong  conviction.  Little  Liv's  words  contain 
more  truth  than  she  is  aware  of. 

"  My  wife  has  just  been  telling  me  that  she  has 
had  a  talk  with  Fru  Nansen.  She  had  gone  across 
to  congratulate  the  hero's  wife.  Fru  Nansen  said, 
'  I  was  sitting  at  home  yesterday  afternoon,  and 
thought  things  .  ery  dull.  A  telegram  was  brought 
to  me.  At  first  I  hardly  cared  to  open  it'  *  Why  ? 
Were  -/ou  afraid  of  bad  news  ? '  '  Oh,  no ;  but 
I  have  had  so  many  telegrams,  and  again  and 
again  they  contained  nothing.  One  gets  indifferent' 
'Well?'  'Well,  finally  I  opened  it,  of  course,  and 
before  I  had  realised  what  it  contained  I  recognised 
his  style.  To-morrow  I  start  on  my  journey  to  meet 
him.'  '  What  a  wonderful  thing  it  is  for  you,  after 
three  anxious  years  ! '  '  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  never 
doubted  that  he  would  return  ;  and  then  there  is 
always  so  much  to  make  life  here  interesting.*  Her 
eyes  wandered  to  the  golden  head  of  little  Liv,  who 
clung  affectionately  to  her  mother." 

LORIMER  AND  UlLLIES,   PRINTERS,   BUIh    'IRGH. 


le  fishermen 
three  times 

m  children 
ve-year-old 
hey  are  in 
old  were 
discussion. 
'  Hjalmar. 
I  hesitates 
,'  she  says 
:1s  contain 

it  she  has 
one  across 
nsen  said, 
loon,  and 
s  brought 
'     'Why? 

no ;  but 
gain  and 
different' 
urse,  and 
-cognised 
r  to  meet 
>^ou,  after 
i,  I  never 

there  is 
Z'  Her 
Liv,  who 


